Divided Loyalties
by A. X. Zanier
Summary: Sequel to Aftermath: Twist of Fate Altiverse COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Author: A. X. Zanier

Title: _Divided Loyalties_

Email: AXZanier@mac.com

Rating: PG-13/R (Language, violence, adult situations, yadda-yadda) 

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or basic story ideas to _The Invisible Man_. Any additional characters or story ideas are mine, mine, _mine_. 

Timeline: Six months after Aftermath: Twist of Fate

Spoilers: I blatantly steal from any and every episode that might be of use.

Comments: It took a while, but I finally came up with a plot that would do justice to this AU of my altiverse. 

**Divided Loyalties**

_This Greek philosopher, Euripedes, once proclaimed. "Let no one think of me that I am humble or weak or passive; let them understand I am of a different kind: dangerous to my enemies, loyal to my friends. To such a life glory belongs." _

_Glory was not something I had ever really sought out. Its the one thing a thief avoids, since it usually means you got caught in a spectacular fashion -- as I well knew. That big score that would let me retire had been my one-time goal. Lately, I was still far more involved with keeping my ass in one piece and getting that bit of bio-synthetic wet-ware out of my head once and for all. Though, I was more than willing to just cruise along for the time being. Life was pretty damn good overall._

_Dangerous? Well, I guess my enemies thought so, seeing the great effort they put into trying to get rid of me on a regular basis. But I had never considered myself dangerous. Even with the old side effects of the gland. **I** wasn't dangerous, **it** was._

_Loyalty... Loyalty was something I had to be forced into, kicking and screaming. It took one very paranoid and schizo partner to teach me about loyalty, trust, and friendship. When I was a thief it was simple. You trust yourself, your skills, and hope your partner/fence/drinking bud won't rat you out when your back is turned or his is against the wall. Loyalty? There was **none**. _

_There are times when loyalties become divided, torn, pulled in so many myriad directions you can't know which way to turn or how to react. Claire must have felt that way when she learned the cure to the madness about a year ago. Lucky for me her loyalties lay more with me, with what was **right**, than with the 'Fish or I might very well be sharing ground space with my brother. The counteragent having failed and the gland removed from a permanently Quicksilver mad Fawkes._

_Maybe that choice was easy for her. Too bad they aren't all that way._

The National Guard Corporal walked past the crappy dark blue Ford LTD with the government plates, missing fuel tank door, and glared at it again. It wasn't that it was the only car parked before this terminal off in a back corner of Lindbergh Field, in fact, there were three other government vehicles. Two classy black Cadillacs and one limousine, as well as a van from the Department of Corrections parked way down the end of the row to deal with an inmate transfer, but the Ford... It looked like a reject from a cheesy early eighties movie; scratched paint, bad repair job from some accident, the interior about as stripped down as you can get, though, he had to admit it was spotless, not even a stray fast food wrapper or old coffee cup. Almost... too clean.

He paced slowly by the vehicle deciding he'd give the owner five more minutes to show before calling troops to go over the thing and to hell with the plates. In the current atmosphere it was better to be overly cautious than to screw up and let a bomb go off under your nose.

Inside the terminal Darien shook his head and sighed. He could just imagine the guard's reaction if he had brought Golda like Hobbes had offered; he'd probably be in cuffs by now and the van being torn apart to look for the explosives that weren't there. Paranoia was still running high, especially with bimonthly warnings from the Feds. The public seemed to have fallen into a 'cry wolf' state of mind, but he knew better. Though, there were days he wished he was just another member of the public and could shrug off such warnings like water off the back of a duck.

Turning away, he did his best to ignore the guy in cammies with the huge gun as he gave the car the evil eye yet again. Was it Darien's fault the 'Fish was still a cheap bastard and that he was still driving one of the company pool cars? That Eberts had made sure to assign him the one he'd all but totaled way back when with that Chinese scientist... What was her name? Oh, yeah, Mai-Lin Chong. Actually, it probably was, he'd admit to pushing things a bit the last few months, had insisted on getting the weekend off without explaining why, but... Yeah, that but. 

Who knew things would turn out the way they had. Certainly not him. Like the roller coaster ride Kevin got him started on wasn't enough. She had to go and add to it. Not that he blamed her, but some days it seemed to be too much. He wasn't yet ready to throw in the proverbial towel even if there were those who had begun to suggest just that. Not that he was ignoring their advice, their words of genuine concern -- okay, so he was ignoring the bellowed orders of the Official -- but he was not even close to giving up. It would take hell of a lot more than a little distance to encourage him to let her go.

His thoughts were interrupted by a group of a dozen or so people coming though one of the doors that ultimately led out onto the landing field. It didn't take him more than a second to spot the person he was waiting for even though she stood far shorter than even the two other women who were also on the flight. That hair was unmistakable and when she caught sight of him she smiled and made her way past the others towards him. She was carrying her duffel, a solid metal briefcase, and her padded backpack that he knew her laptop was in. 

She must have gone straight from her meeting to the airport, as she was still dressed in the heels, black slacks, and deep red dress shirt that he knew she preferred not wearing. Only her leather jacket made her stand out among all the other government suits she had shared the flight with. While the others were hustled out to their fancy cars with bodyguards and drivers she came over to stand in front of him. He could just make out the chain of the necklace he'd given her the last time they'd been together from where it peeked out underneath the collar of her shirt.

"Hey stranger," Darien said as she stopped directly before him. "Good flight?" One hand moved to caress her cheek even though he had told himself firmly that he would not do anything like that here, that he both could and would wait until they were alone.

Alyx shuddered. "Short flight, thank god. I am so tired of flying. I so need this weekend off." She gave him a lopsided smile. "Are you going to kiss me hello or not?"

It was obvious she knew nothing of Darien's resolve to not allow his knees to turn to jelly in the middle of this airport terminal. She stood there looking so sweet and so damn happy to see him that he told his resolve to take a flying leap off the nearest tall building and leaned in to do as she asked. For long minutes time seemed to stop as he, once again, discovered that he was more than a little crazy about the woman who was suddenly pressed up against him and enfolded in his arms. When he pulled himself away with a sigh the duffel she'd been holding in one hand had fallen, unheard by him, to the floor and her, now free hand had curled about his neck.

"Ummm, missed me Mr. Monochromatic?" Alyx's voice was husky even though she was doing her best to hide how much that kiss had affected her.

Her commentary earned a smile from Darien who released her and leaned down to pick up her duffel. "Ugh, What do you have in here? A body?"

"Nah, left that back in L. A.," she riposted with little effort. He lead the way out of the building and she followed a couple steps behind in order to admire his form encased in nearly head to toe black. Black slacks that fit perfectly, then the black dress shirt she remembered buying for him a while ago for some formal function he'd been forced into for the Agency. No tie, but that didn't matter, he looked damned good, and the addition of what appeared to be a new leather jacket in deep rich brown made her swallow hard due to the combined scent of him and the leather. "Dare..."

She would have continued, but they had stepped through the glass doors, into the brilliant late afternoon sunshine that included the view of a blue sky that lacked the yellow tint that always seemed to hang about L. A. She took in a deep breath, glad to finally take in air that did not have its own distinctive odor and taste to it. The one time she'd been stuck outside for more than 20 minutes in downtown L. A. she'd ended up nauseous because of the air. '_Never again_,' she swore to herself. '_Next time they can come to me_.'

Darien had gone over to his car where there were now three of the National Guardsmen looking it over. "Problem?"

"This your car, sir?" The guy was trying to be polite, but it was obvious after looking over Darien that his dress and hairstyle did nothing to inspire confidence.

"Yes, and I'd like to be able to get into it about now," Darien commented with some irritation, but one of them made it plain with a shift of his gun that he was not going to be allowed to quite yet.

"I. D., please," one, a Corporal Green, ordered.

Darien reached into his back pocket and pulled out his Fish and Game I. D. Not very impressive, but better than Bureau of Weights and Measures and, hopefully, the government badge would get things moving. Green, however, seemed less than impressed.

"Corporal, is there some reason for the hold up?" Alyx asked as she moved up beside Darien.

"Ma'am this vehicle," the word came out as if it tasted bad, "has been here a bit longer than we like and we...."

"This vehicle is a government issue car and my ride." She pulled out her badge and handed it to Green who opened it, took one look, and paled. 

"Sorry, ma'am." He handed back both badges and stepped away, all but saluting her in the process. 

Darien raised his eyebrows at her and she just rolled her eyes. Pulling open the rear door she tossed her bags in, taking the duffel from Darien as well, shut the door, and then waited for him to move so she could climb in the passenger seat. "Darien, I really don't want to spend my weekend here."

Darien looked sheepish and opened the door for her so she could slip in past him. Once he had the car started he asked, "What did you do to Army wannabe boy back there? Pics of the bodies on the badge?"

Alyx chuckled. "No. New unit assignment came through. There are more than a few rumors floating around about it. About half of which I started myself. They appear to be effective."

"Ah, the misinformation machine is up and running I take it?" Darien wasn't surprised, she kept him informed as much as she could, just as he did for her about Agency matters. 

"Dare, not to be a bitch, but the last thing I want to talk about for the next several days is work. I want to be in a good mood when I head back to the kids on Monday." She set a hand on his thigh and spoke softly. She wasn't mad, she just wanted to enjoy her time, short as it was, with him and discussing work was not going to accomplish that.

"Hmm, I don't know. Shop talk just seems to get me in the mood these days, ya know." The hand on his thigh tightened for an instant then relaxed and began to slide upwards which caused his concentration on his driving to suddenly become erratic. 

"Really? Then let me review, in long and boring detail, how the chain of command in my unit works." She had scooted over and was leaning in close to whisper this in his ear. The slight breeze caused by her words, tickling the nearby hairs of his temple, her presence, and her hand caused a roaring in his ears that prevented him from understanding a word she said even though he had heard her voice. "Shall I continue?"

Darien cleared his throat. "Uh, I have no idea what you just said." The car began to stray into the next lane over and he straightened it with a silent prayer of thanks that he was pretty much the only one driving on this particular stretch of road at the moment. "Alyx, you're gonna get us killed."

Alyx snickered. "All right, no more teasing for now." She looked about at the passing scenery. "Where we headed?"

"That would be a surprise," Darien informed her as he glanced over at her. She had shifted back over to the passenger seat and reached up to free her hair from the fancy clip it had been secured in. She hadn't really let it grow out, keeping it about shoulder length for convenience. She then undid the first few buttons of the dress shirt she was wearing, allowing him a glimpse of the flesh beneath. Once again the car wobbled as he drove, but he forced his eyes back onto the road and managed to not damage any of the cars about them. "How are things?"

It was Alyx's turn to sigh. "Hopefully, now that the unit is officially up and running, _things_ will settle out a bit more." She turned in the seat, drawing one leg up to sit half cross-legged. "If I had known this was going to happen..."

"Alyx, what were you supposed to do? The fricking President called you." Darien hadn't been thrilled with the way things had turned out either -- the Official had been livid -- but in the end there wasn't much they could do. Several agencies had fought over her with the CIA winning out in the end. Made sense given what she was capable of and what the goals of the CIA were. Hell, she was practically designed to be a spy and, thanks to her year with the Agency, had been taught just about everything she needed to take up the duties of a CIA agent. She had ended up doing little things for both the DOD and the NSA recently by sheer coincidence. Sometimes the information she came across was shared with other agencies that 'needed-to-know.' 

The meetings in L. A. had been with some NSA mooks. Geeks actually, who were drooling over her natural ability to break computer generated codes and encryption's. In a phone call to Darien a week ago she'd grumbled to him about it. She'd been unable to get into specifics, but had bemoaned the fact there was no way she was going to be able to explain it to them. Not only was she under orders to help the NSA, but she was also under orders to not tell them how she'd broken the code. It had given her a major headache.

"I could have said _no_," Alyx stated quietly. "Stayed at my house in Newport with the kids and not gotten mixed up in this crap again. Working for the Agency was one thing, but this... This was not part of the plan." She needed a break. A real break. Juggling family, work, friends, and just plain life was turning out to be a lot harder than she thought possible. "I could have gone back into designing high tech security systems. Patrick has plenty of industry contacts, and I am damn good."

"'Chele, would it have been enough?" He kept his voice soft as a precaution. Not that is was very likely someone was listening in on them while the car was moving -- she would know if it had been bugged -- but better to be safe than have certain people find out who she really was. Now he really understood why his father had changed his name and left them -- he still didn't like it, but he did understand. Michele's kids were at high risk if anyone ever figured out that Alyx Silver and Michele MacTierney were the same person. And if it became known her kids were talented as well... So when working she was Alyx Silver, whose past was shrouded in mystery and was 90 percent fake. Whereas Michele was a busy mom who had to travel for her business -- research or something like that, he seemed to recall -- and had lots of security and live-in caretakers for her kids. Including her brother Michael, who was now officially on the books, via a roundabout route, as an employee of the Agency as well as still maintaining his current position with the CIA, and lived with the kids to both protect and train them. Things had changed for the family, but thanks to the kids being far wiser than their years, they were holding up just fine. Their routines hadn't changed all that much, just slightly more, subtle, protection as they went about being the kids they still were.

"It was enough for over a year, Darien." That came out a bit harsher than she intended it to and she leaned forward to rest her forehead on his shoulder. "See, this is why I didn't want to discuss work. I swear the headaches I get now are worse than when I was on that damn inhibitor."

Darien removed his right hand from the steering wheel and, with a bit of shifting on her part, got his arm wrapped about her and snuggled up close to his side. "Sorry, sweets, but you seem to need to blow off some steam, and who better to bitch with than me?"

"I'd much rather do far more carnal things with you, Dare." That earned her a growl from deep in his chest and she chuckled softly. "This was not how things were supposed to go. Like it wasn't going to be bad enough playing bi-coastal super agent, but this... Maybe you should think about..."

"Alyx, don't you say it too." Darien was getting a bit exasperated with this running theme. "Do you want to stop seeing me?"

"No, damn it. But this sure as hell isn't very fair to you." She closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down before she started broadcasting to the entire metro area exactly how unhappy with the situation she was. "I... You have enough crap in your life, I just don't want to add more, or for you to feel obligated to me."

"Obligated? All right, enough of this. You are not to think anything like that all weekend. Got me?" His tone brooked no argument from her. "In fact, I don't want you to think at all. I am going to do my best to spoil you rotten for the next couple of days and you are going to enjoy it. Or else." He pulled the car into the exit lane, still heading north from San Diego proper, and to the restaurant he'd made reservations at for the two of them. He wanted to do this up right since it had been a while since they'd been able to get together and may be some time before they could meet again.

"Aww, can I think a little? I did have some plans for this weekend you know," she added a pout with a lip quiver and Darien burst out laughing when he caught sight of it. "Jerk," she muttered, and changed tactics by biting him gently on the side of his neck, causing him to suck in a breath in surprise. "I missed you."

"Same here." His hand slid under her jacket and rubbed along her stomach making her moan softly. "We'll work this out."

"Mmmm, I hope so." She relaxed against him, allowing her worries to slip away for the moment and to just feel. Not all that difficult considering where his hand was wandering and the effects it was having on her. "Hey you, if you're gonna do that you might want to pull over." Her voice was tight with need.

Darien chuckled, his hand not stopping what it was doing, but not pulling over either. "Shhh, just enjoy it." He figured the best way to get her mind from running in the tight circles it had been was to distract her completely and, based on her gasp of reaction followed by the soul deep moan, it was working quite well.

***

They made it back to his apartment just before midnight. Dinner had gone quite well and been amazingly relaxing for both of them, even as the anticipation of being alone built. They'd actually managed to never speak about work directly, she asked about Bobby and Claire and he gladly brought her up to speed on the various trouble the three of them were able to cause both in and out of the office. Their lives were so intertwined with the Agency that some references were unavoidable -- like the exam he'd been forced to endure a few weeks ago -- but he kept away from the darker aspects and had her smiling and laughing more often than not.

Alyx discussed her kids, her new apartment near Langley. She couldn't commute easily so she had finally broken down and rented a place, so that when work forced her to be in or near D.C. she had a reliable place to stay instead of hotel rooms, or bunking with her partner. Alyx had yet to say much about her partner, or the other members of her special unit, and was not about to discuss them tonight. She was quite touched with his interest in her kids, most guys would have been bored within the first five sentences, but he was genuinely curious and actually got involved to a degree. Rose especially, had kept in contact with both Darien and Bobby after being reunited half a year ago. Both men had decided on their own that the kids were part of the Agency family, part of their responsibilities, and made sure things were copacetic on a very regular basis. Even Claire got involved, though Alyx suspected it was more due to her fascination with the inherited QSX traits than for the kids themselves, but that was all right. They needed all the friends they could get -- enemies would make themselves known soon enough.

By the time dessert and coffee had rolled around the two were sitting quietly, just enjoying each other's presence in the darkened corner booth of the very expensive restaurant Darien had brought them to. He'd done a favor for the owner a few months back and the man had been more than willing to repay the debt with a last minute reservation for the two of them.

Darien locked the door and turned about to see Alyx leaning over the pool table looking at his computer; the one she'd talked him into buying so that they could keep in contact no matter where she was. Her duffel was on the floor and being slid underneath the table with one foot while the others had taken up residence atop the dark green felt. He slipped off his jacket and tossed it carelessly on the table as well. "Anything interesting?"

"You've got mail." Alyx grinned as she looked over her shoulder. "Looks like Rose wishing us a good time and to not do anything too illegal." She shook her head. 

"Another smarty-pants," Darien commented as he leaned over and deliberately shut off the offending bit of technology. "You can tell her all about it on Monday." His hands settled on her shoulders as she straightened up and leaned back against him.

"Everything?" Alyx asked, chuckling. "She is only nine, remember?" His lips had found the side of her neck and she tipped her head to the side to allow him better access. He slid the jacket off her shoulders, down her arms, and set it aside on the table, his mind already on other things by the time he'd released it.

"And too damn smart for her own good. The grin on your face will give it all away anyhow," he mumbled against her skin. "Now be quiet, I'm trying to take advantage of you here."

"Oh, is that what you're doing? I wondered." Alyx laughed low and throaty as he growled at her. He tried to slide the shirt off her shoulder to gain better access only to be prevented by the fact that, in his sudden eagerness to taste her, to feel the pounding of her blood in the artery of her neck, to making her moan at his lightest most delicate touch, he had yet to unbutton it.

"Here, try this." She took his hands and moved them from her shoulders and set them upon the line of tiny buttons that divided her torso in half.

His fingers casually ran along the row of buttons; first down, to pull the edges of the blouse out of her slacks, and then back up to cup her breasts. "Yes, this is much better." he stated into the hair behind her ear at a near whisper, making her moan softly in reaction. The teasing of earlier had become very serious now and the patience he'd forced himself to show all evening was swiftly falling apart. He wanted her. Now. And her clothes -- their clothes -- we're a distinct impediment to what he had planned. "Alyx..." His fingers tried to undo the tiny buttons, but his normal deftness was gone, his need making him fumble.

"Just get it off me," she growled, wanting him nearly as badly. One of her hands was behind her back, trying to undo and remove that belt he'd worn, while the other lay gently atop his, the contact communicating her wants and needs to him even as she picked up on his. Some things hadn't changed and this control issue was one of them.

He groaned and bit her on the curve of muscle where neck met shoulder and gave a sharp yank at the material. The sound of buttons popping off and then hitting the floor to bounce away to unseen corners of the room was a relief. His hands were swift to find the flesh beneath, his fingers teasing her nipples to an even greater awareness than before. "Ah damn, I've missed you."

"I can tell," she got out between shallow pants. She had succeeded on her quest, the belt gone and the slacks no longer buttoned; her fingers ran teasingly over the evidence of his arousal, his need. His lips had found that outrageously sensitive spot at the base of her neck and was teasing it with his tongue and small sharp bites, making her gasp and moan in reaction. "Dare, hurry." Yeah, she was impatient. A month was too long between visits.

Turning her about without making her loosen her grip on him he looked her in the eyes, seeing the desire there, the blatant need written in every line of her body. He loved it when she was this desperate, when she wanted so bad she couldn't wait, when she begged for him to touch her. He removed her hand, wanting to make this last, even though he had to bite back a groan at the loss of her touch. He tapped her on the nose with one finger. "You forgot to say please."

"Dare, you wouldn't." She actually sounded surprised.

He leaned in and brushed his lips across hers, his tongue darting out for an instant, and making her shiver. "Of course I would, but you'll thank me for it later." He slipped one hand across her flat stomach, circling her navel before dipping a finger inside in imitation of what would be coming later. He watched as her eyes fluttered shut and she bit her lip in an attempt to not react. "Uh, uh. Let me hear you." He gently bit her chin and this time the groan that escaped was long and low and nearly made him break his resolve to not simply take her on the conveniently near pool table.

"Please, Dare." Her hands shaking, she slowly unbuttoned his shirt to gain access the warm flesh beneath. She would never get tired of looking at him, feeling him under her hands, breathing in his scent, or rediscovering how he tasted. For no matter how well she knew him or his body, there always seemed to be something new to discover. 

"Not yet," he murmured as he allowed her to slip the shirt off him. It fell to the floor, forgotten long before it reached the smooth surface that it landed in a puddle of black silk upon. He allowed her to trail her hands across him for a few minutes while their tongues renewed their acquaintance, then he moved lower, going to his knees as his tongue left a trail of heat upon the silky flesh, that he took the time to taste and savor and arouse. His hands were searching for the zipper of her pants, which they eventually found on her left side, when her cell phone rang.

With a snarl of frustration she shifted enough to grab her jacket from where it lay on the pool table and dig the annoying thing out of the pocket. It was doing that obnoxious triple tone she had learned to hate because she knew it meant that not only was it work, but that it was urgent. Considering it was three am on the east coast it must be damn important.

He looked up at her and set one hand over hers. "Don't answer it." He leaned in to gently bite her abdomen just above the low slung slacks making her shudder in response.

"Have to," she said with real regret. Flipping the thing open she took a deep breath to calm herself, pressed the button to accept the call, and snapped "Silver." into it.

Her reaction was immediately obvious and even though her free hand ran lovingly through his hair he knew it was over for the night. Once again she would answer the call, answer the demands work placed upon her and he would be set aside. This sucked.

"Yes, sir. As soon as I can. Me too, sir." She closed the phone and tossed it away from them not caring where it landed. She looked down at him. "The airport is going to experience some delays."

It took him a moment for her words to register and his heart surged with joy. "Some unexpected fog perhaps?" He'd succeeded in getting the slacks undone and slipped them down past her hips. Violet silk, though in a tastefully small amount, lay beneath. Slipping his hand between her thighs he found her completely soaked and he began teasing her through the slick material.

"Oh yes," she gasped out at his touch. "Far too damp for flying right now."

"Hmmm, seems that way." He slipped a finger about the silky cloth and slid it inside her. "Something you want?" he asked as he began an achingly slow movement within her.

"N...n...no," she ground out through her erratic breathing. "I have you."

That was enough for him, withdrawing from her, ignoring her groan of complaint, he picked her up about the waist. Her laughter at his actions filling his heart with joy as he carried her to the bed where he proceeded to make sure she'd want it no other way.

The images flickering through Darien's mind were shattered by the ringing of his phone. With an annoyed grumble he snuggled closer to what he thought was the warm body he'd fallen asleep next to only to feel the smooth cotton of the pillowcase that he had apparently been caressing in his sleep. As his still mostly unconscious brain tried to absorb that fact, the phone shrilled again forcing him further towards that dreaded state of wakefulness he was not yet ready to face. He pulled a pillow over his head and tried to fall back to sleep, hoping that Alyx would be back soon, maybe with breakfast from Carlyle's, when he really awoke.

When it rang for the third time he gave up, threw the pillow away with a snarl, and picked up the cell phone with the realization he really hated the thing. With a gravely voice he growled, "It's my day off, this better be damn good."

"_Agent Fawkes, we have a situation and need you in the office ASAP. When can we expect you_?" Eberts was amazingly cool, like he'd anticipated Darien's reaction.

Pushing himself up he glanced at the lighted numbers on the clock and was less than pleased to see what they revealed. "Seven oh six? Come on, Eberts, it's Saturday for Christ's sake. I have plans."

"_My apologizes, but it is urgent_." Eberts actually sounded sincere.

"Uh, 30 minutes?" Darien didn't think he could push it to an hour, though he wanted to tell the man to screw off. Alyx was not going to be happy about this. Thinking about her, with his still less than fully conscious mind, brought the vague memory of something important, but since he'd had only a few hours of sleep, and no coffee yet, he couldn't seem to find any reason to put in the effort to figure it out.

"_We'll be expecting you_." Eberts disconnected, leaving dead air buzzing in his ear.

As Darien set down the phone he found her note. It was short, but done in her usual precise and neat handwriting. It wasn't much more than her apologizing and explaining that the phone call last night had been very urgent. With a sigh Darien crumpled the note and threw it across the room. "Damn, guess that means no breakfast in bed."

Throwing off the covers he took a moment to make the bed before heading to the bathroom. While the water warmed he began to curse the fates. Now he remembered; her being less than happy about being called back to work, and gave her credit for blowing them off as long as she had. At some point between attacks of ardor she told him she was going to have to fly back to D.C. and probably wouldn't even be getting to see her kids come Monday from the sound of it. He had felt bad for her and had proceeded to do his best to distract her for a while, until her sense of duty inevitably drove her from his bed and to the airport.

Standing under the water he tried not to think about when he might see her again; the few hours last night had not been nearly enough, but anything was better than nothing. In fact, the distance between visits probably added to the passion they felt when together. Not that they had planned to spend the entire weekend in bed. Today they were supposed to head out to the zoo and spend the day walking amongst the exhibits and enjoying the beautiful animals they had. What they had wasn't solely based on lust, no matter how much it may look that way to an outsider. They could just as easily spend an afternoon reading together as in bed play. Sex, as fun as it was, would not be enough to keep the attention of either of them for long. They each had minds that needed to be stretched and challenged and, by some miracle, they did that for each other. 

Darien sighed and leaned back against the tile wall. Tipping his head up he swallowed hard. If only there was some way around this, some way he could be with her, to have her crawling into his bed at the end of the day, if only things were different. Bringing his hands up to rub his face he noticed once again the bright green snake curled on his wrist. Claire had made him keep the monitor just in case something happened. Not that he minded too much; even after nearly a year the sight of the tattoo with no red on it was a surprise. He wasn't sure he would ever get used to it. He wasn't sure he should. One thing the last few years had taught him was there were no guarantees and to always be prepared for the worst.

A sudden, crazy idea struck then. One that, while it might not solve all the problems, would satisfactorily deal with one of them. "Damn it to hell. I'm a frickin' fool." He rushed through the rest of his routine, choosing the first thing that he came across -- black jeans and a white v-neck T-shirt -- grabbed a jacket, and got the hell out of there.

Bobby was the first person he encountered when he arrived at the Agency and Darien almost turned around and went back home. He knew what was coming and was not in the mood for it.

"Fawkesy, my friend. So how pissed was the kid?" Hobbes fell into step beside Darien and as one they walked to the Official's office. 

"She wasn't, Hobbes. She was gone long before I got up," Darien told his partner, as he opened the door to the Official's office. "She got called back early."

"I'm not surprised," the Official said to them as they walked towards the desk and sat in their usual places. "She's probably going to be put on the same job I assigning you."

"Sir?" Hobbes questioned, as he eyed both the boss and the little weasel Eberts, who held a folder in his hands.

"Assistance from a variety of agencies has been requested on a matter of some urgency. You," he nodded at the partners, "were specifically requested."

"By who?" Darien asked, with more than a touch of suspicion.

"That is need-to-know," Eberts told them, and handed the folder to Hobbes.

"You can rest easy that it was someone who knows your reputation and isn't put off by it," the Official commented with a satisfied expression. "I expect you to cooperate fully."

"D. C.? We're flying to D. C.?" Hobbes sounded a touch surprised, as he looked over the small amount of information that had been provided. They had airplane tickets, hotel reservations, and the place and time for a meeting first thing tomorrow morning. "This don't give us much time."

"Then you had better get moving, hadn't you?" The Official just looked at the two of them and waited for the needless questions he knew would be coming.

"What about the Keep? Or Monroe?" Darien asked, trying to get more information out of the Fat Man sitting smugly before them.

"Last I checked you no longer needed counteragent and Agent Monroe is already on an assignment and was not requested. For some reason they want you." It was looking like the Official had been ordered to send them on this assignment and it made Darien very curious as to what was going on.

Getting to their feet the partners made their way to the door when the Official spoke again. "Boys, do me proud."

"Don't we always?" Hobbes responded with a grin, as Darien snorted. Once in the hallway Hobbes' grin faded and suspicion crossed his features. "I don't like this Fawkes, who in D. C. knows about us?"

"Too many by this point, Hobbes, but I doubt its a power grab for me; that was part of the deal the 'Fish cut when Alyx left. I stay here," Darien explained as he swiped the file from Hobbes' hands and looked it over.

"And how the hell do you know this, my friend?" Hobbes sounded more worried than anything else.

"Alyx told me, of course." Darien stopped in the middle of the hallway as Bobby began to shake his head. "What?"

"The kid has got to get her priorities straight. Spilling the beans on stuff like that is gonna get her in trouble. At The Company the job has to be first," Hobbes explained.

"Not for her. Oh, when she's working she's working, just like when she was here, but it's not her priority and you know it." Darien began walking again, already going over in his mind what he'd need to pack. "Her family is always first. The work is a means to an end."

Hobbes sighed knowing it was true. "There's gonna come a time she's gonna have to choose and I'm betting ya it'll be sooner than later. I hope she chooses right."

"Me too, Hobbes. Me too."


	2. Chapter 2

*2*

The cherry trees were in bloom. That might be the one thing Darien would remember about this little trip to D.C. Oh, and that it was snowing. Big, huge, honking, wet snowflakes driven by a stiff wind and that stuck to everything. So, while the cherry trees might be in bloom, they were also plastered with snow and looking for all the world like odd sculptures that only patrons of the arts understood and that your tax dollars probably paid for. 

Okay, so some part of him had known that April on the east coast was nothing like that in southern California. That it could get a little weird, a little wild, but this was just nuts. And cold, damn cold. The last time he'd been involved with this bone deep chill he'd been stuck at a terrorist convention in a blizzard with Bobby, Claire, and Alyx. At least the driver of the car had noticed his violent shivering and cranked the heat without comment. Maybe living in California made him thin-blooded, but he also knew it was because he was so damn skinny. Little or no insulation to keep in any of the heat he did manage to generate. His lack of appropriate wardrobe didn't help much either. Clothes that were more than warm enough back home were doing little or no good here. And leather, as good as it looked on him, did nothing to keep the heat in.

Hobbes was not having the same problem. Having grown up in Brooklyn he more than remembered exactly how weird the weather could get; checking the local forecasts before packing had helped as well. He had seen the warnings for a nasty cold front and had packed accordingly. It was after the meeting today that problems could arise. They had no idea if they were going to be in town for the next week or if they were going to be moving on from here to warmer, or even colder, climes. So the contents of his bags were a bit odd; everything from the heavy wool sport coat he was currently wearing, to the lighter linen that would work in anything short of Amazonian jungle conditions.

They were actually running on time today, though it was more because of the government baby-sitters than any effort on their part. They'd been put up in a really nice suite, separate bedrooms and everything so Darien hadn't had to suffer through listening to Hobbes snore all night long. Darien had tried calling Alyx a few times, but been rerouted to her voicemail every time. When he called the house, via a politely requested secure line, he'd been told by Mike that she was currently incommunicado and would be for several days, thus dashing Darien's faint hope of seeing her while they were in town.

When they pulled through the huge and very fortified gates to the Pentagon, Darien and Hobbes exchanged a look, but voiced neither their confusion nor their concerns. The sight of the section that was still being rebuilt -- the flag waving bravely in the stiff wind -- also kept them silent. A reminder of what exactly they were fighting for.

While Hobbes had spent several years in the armed forces -- Marines -- Darien had never had anything to do with the military. As far as he knew, with the exception of that little Navy Brock-related incident several years ago, they had done nothing but occasionally crossed paths with any facet of the military in the course of their work. 

They did know that Claire had worked for the DOD at one time -- as a civilian -- but when Darien had mouthed her name with an obvious questioning look on his face to Hobbes, he quickly shook his head. As far as they knew the mook -- Grimmond -- was still in no position to get even with anyone, especially Claire. That left.... They had no idea and both were getting more and more uncomfortable with the situation. While far more trusting of the government that Darien ever would be, Hobbes also knew how others would love to get a hold of his partner for just a 'mission or two.'

They were escorted through the blowing snow that seemed to insist on sticking to Darien's hair, much to his dismay, until it was nothing but a damp mess that hung down into his eyes. Through the first of several security checkpoints, where Hobbes' guns were checked and then handed back to him once they were verified as who they claimed to be. They then went through five more security checkpoints as well as down two levels in the building itself. Darien had known the building was huge, but the knowledge was nothing compared to the experience. He also felt very out of place in his jeans, heavy sweater and leather jacket when everyone else was either in a military uniform or some version of the standard issue G-man suit. Then again, based on some of the envious looks tossed his way as they walked, he might be the only comfortable person here.

They ended up in an area that appeared to be Navy-run and Darien finally broke. "Why here? Why not someplace... oh, I don't know, less fortified?"

Their escort, whose name Darien had never caught, actually cracked a smile. "Security," He stopped before a set of double doors and spoke to the guards outside for a second before one swung the doors open for them. "And it's neutral territory." He turned to face Hobbes and Darien. "Gentlemen, thank you for your patience. Other arrangements have been made for your return to your hotel. Good day." The man turned sharply and left the room leaving the two men to face a couple dozen perfect strangers.

"Hobbes, what the hell is going on?"

"Not sure, Fawkes, but look at the tags they're wearing. We've got FBI, NSA, a pair of Secret Service bookends, and ... surprise, surprise ... CIA." He strolled forward with Darien trailing along. "Seem at all familiar?"

"Crap. Yeah. That little renegade assassin mission we got set up on." Hard to forget how that one played out.

"How is your grandma anyway?" Hobbes asked as they slowly made their way to where a sideboard was set up with a variety of danish and coffees. "At least their gonna feed us."

"Madeline is fine, as you well know, since you followed me the last time I went up there. And, yes, she liked the Christmas present even if it was late." Darien grinned as he grabbed a mug and filled it with what he hoped was high test. When he turned around he just about dumped it all over himself in surprise. "Alyx! What are you doing here?"

With a little mental help from her she kept the hot coffee in his cup and not all over the gorgeous dark brown v-neck sweater he was wearing. "Same thing as you, waiting to be told why the hell I was dragged back across the country." She turned to the man standing next to him and gave Hobbes a very unprofessional kiss on the cheek. "Hiya, Bobby."

He wagged a finger at her in mock anger. "Kid... Good to see ya." He pulled her into a quick hug. "You never call, you never write, you never stop by."

"Hey, I had planned to take you to breakfast on Sunday... today." She waved at the foodstuffs. "This way I don't have to pay the bill."

"Well, well, well, back together again," a sickly sweet voice commented from behind her. "Why is it I have the feeling you called these two losers in on this little mission?"

Alyx didn't even bother turning about and just rolled her eyes in disgust. *_Gray, if you would assist me, please_?* she sent to a particular person standing almost unnoticed across the room. "Morris, I would not push your luck today. While they may not have a way to throw you overboard, I'm sure I can find an elevator shaft that will do." She winked at Bobby and Darien before turning about to face Agent Stephen Morris who had, somehow, crawled back up from the demotion he'd been given after the slaver incident he'd gotten the three of them mixed up in. "I can trust them to watch my back, unlike you."

Morris glared at her and was about to speak when he felt a hand come down on his shoulder, turned his head slightly to see who it was, and closed his mouth with an audible snap.

Darien was nearly as stunned. He had to actually look up at the guy to meet his eyes. Startlingly green eyes set into a face that was damn near pure Native North American complete with long black hair with that blue sheen to it, braided neatly on either side of his face with feathers and beads woven in, giving him a distinctive look that... worked. However, the suit he wore, while a perfect fit, just looked completely wrong on him. The guy was handsome as hell, even with the hard look he was currently sporting. For a second all Darien could see were animal skins, war paint, and a small hatchet that was ready to come down to scalp the little redheaded jerk. He tried to convince himself to not enjoy that far too pleasant thought, but with little success.

Hobbes broke him out of the sudden imagery with a surprised, "Holy shit."

Then the man smiled, and it was by no means a friendly smile, but a very, very dangerous one aimed at Mr. Morris. "I warned you once to leave Agent Silver alone. Do I really need to repeat myself?"

Morris, all ready fair skinned, paled; his freckles standing out even more prominently than previously. "N... no, sir," he stuttered. Then, before the expected order came from above, he quickly uttered the necessary words. "My apologies, Agent Silver." Scuttling away he headed back to his little group of cronies to either be laughed at or commiserated with.

Alyx had to bite her lip to keep from giggling. She could have handled Morris herself, but it was more fun this way, plus she got to introduce her friends to each other. "Darien Fawkes, Bobby Hobbes," She pointed to each man in turn. "I'd like you to meet my partner, Xavier Graywolf."

"This is your partner?" Darien just barely managed to keep his voice from doing a prepubescent squeak. He did successfully put his hand out to be shaken and was thankful afterwards that the man hadn't crushed it.

"Jeeze, kid, they couldn't find a bigger one for ya?" Hobbes commented as he shook the huge hand once Darien had been freed from the grasp.

Alyx laughed softly even as Gray released Bobby and answered, "My size was one of the reasons I was chosen to partner her."

"And the others?" Darien asked, out of sheer curiosity.

"He is a bit more, hmm... accepting of those with unique talents. Our entire unit is that way. A gifted paired with an ord." When Gray lifted an eyebrow Alyx amended her statement. "Far from ordinary that you are." She turned to Bobby. "He has packed a lot of experience into his years. I couldn't have chosen better for the unit."

"Not true, you picked all the rest. You just had a blind spot when it came to choosing a partner for yourself." Gray turned his gaze on Darien. "And now I have met the reason why."

Darien met the guy's eyes calmly and saw about the last thing he expected. Somewhere along the way Alyx's partner, her friend, had gone slightly beyond the care and loyalty. From what Darien could see the man had fallen for her. '_Oh, great_,' Darien thought. _'This is not what I need_.'

"Kid, are you the reason we got tapped for this?" Hobbes asked as he watched the staring contest between Fawkes and Graywolf. Even counting the hair, Graywolf topped Fawkes by several inches.

"I made the calls, but, yes, it was on her recommendation," Graywolf answered as he broke eye contact with Darien to focus on Bobby.

Alyx shrugged. "One of my hunches. When I was given the bare bones for this I knew you guys should be on it. So, since I was in transit, I had Gray here make the calls. Had to bribe the 'Fish, but it'll be worth it." She brushed a stray hair off her face and Darien noticed, for the first time, that she was wearing a pair of light gray gloves.

He took her hand. "What's with this?" 

"Contact, remember? In this town I don't dare get a head full of someone. Don't really want to either." Alyx gave his hand a squeeze and smiled. "Just another compromise." 

"Hell, Alyx, you shouldn't have to make compromises." Darien tried to hide his unhappiness over the situation, but didn't succeed very well.

"Fawkes, we all do. The kid here just has to make ones that seem a bit larger than ours." Hobbes nudged his friend in the ribs, getting him to release her hand. It was going to be damn hard to keep the entire district from knowing they were a pair if he didn't stop making cow eyes at her. In this town any relationship was dangerous. He lowered his voice and whispered hoarsely at him. "Work, Fawkes. Now is neither the time nor the place for you to get all _happy_."

Alyx couldn't help but overhear and snickered while Darien sighed dramatically. "Yes, oh wise and powerful Oz. Sheesh."

Her head tipped slightly to the side and she muttered, "Finally."

"Sil?" Graywolf asked as he set a hand on her shoulder. 

"Oh, the big wigs are here to finally get this moving," Alyx explained as she looked up at the man. "Shall we?" She gestured for them all to move to the conference table and they sat about midway down one side all in a row. Alyx sandwiched between Darien and Graywolf.

About half of the others who noticed the quartet sitting at the table followed suit, including the Secret Service agents, but not the other CIA agents, who continued their discussion with the occasionally sneering glance in their direction.

"It could be worse," Darien muttered with a sigh after Morris looked over at them for the third time.

"How?" Graywolf asked.

"Jones could be here with the FBI mooks," Hobbes replied, causing Alyx to chuckle softly. He caught the look that crossed Graywolf's face. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

The side door opened then and three people, one carrying a pile of folders and the other a laptop, entered the room and looked about at the groups still standing. "If you would take your seats, please, we'll get started."

As soon as everyone was seated the files were passed out so that everyone had one, while the other fired up the laptop and presented it to the leader of the trio once it was ready. Alyx flipped through her copy with a seeming casualness that belied the fact that she was memorizing every page as she went. Beside her Darien hadn't even opened his and had simply slouched down in his chair, sipping his coffee. On her other side Graywolf was giving the information a quick scan, flipping through the pages to just get and idea of what was inside, much as Hobbes was also doing. Alyx already knew Gray and Bobby would get along just fine. They were both the consummate professional and both had their own style when it came to doing the work. The rules were important to both, but they both knew there were times when they needed to be bent, or broken, and did so without hesitation. Both men had had trouble finding suitable partners over the years and tended towards working alone.

Eventually though, Bobby had found Darien and a working relationship that had become a very close friendship. Alyx and Gray got along very well -- the entire unit did -- and it was looking to become a friendship between them as well. There were still quite few things they did not know about each other, including the fact that she was living a double life, but, much like when she had met Max Garret, she knew she could trust Gray and didn't even bother fighting it. 

"All right people, heads up." The apparent ringleader of this meeting paused until he was sure he had the majority of the people focused on him. "I'm Agent Franklin, CIA, and I'll be heading up this task force. We have reason to believe a former agent is going to be returning to the states to try and assassinate Harrison Keller, who was recently appointed as a liaison to the Secretary of State on matters involving several Far Eastern countries." 

The majority of the people around the table flipped open their files to look at a picture of Mr. Keller, including Darien, though he was radiating boredom instead of curiosity. He leaned over slightly to whisper to Alyx. "Corn fed white boy assigned to Far East affairs? A bit odd don't you think?"

*_No stranger than sending a woman to mediate a peace accord in the Middle East_,* Alyx countered, her face betraying nothing of the, now private, conversation.

*_Ah, good point_,* Darien admitted, and turned his attention back to those at the head of the table.

"Your mission is two-fold. Protect Keller and neutralize the assassination attempt. Capture would be preferred, but do not hesitate to use deadly force if needed." He looked over the room. "I do realize that teams will be created because of the different agencies, so what we've done is set up a database all can access. Any information you get, add to the database so that it's available to everyone. We'll make sure it's all coordinated and that duplications of information are removed."

Darien flipped through the file yet again and muttered something under his breath. Feeling more than a little foolish he stuck up a hand, ignoring the snickers of Morris and company, until Franklin noticed him. "Uh, who are we looking for? I mean, maybe all the rest of you know, but there's no name, no pic, not even a description in here."

"Agent..." Franklin checked the computer screen quickly, "Fawkes, that information has not been declassified and we are unable to supply it at this time. I can tell you the agent had been working as a deep cover operative in China for several years prior to his defection. Anything else?"

Darien was about to open his mouth to complain when Hobbes kicked him in the foot and muttered, "We have enough, Fawkes, now shut up so we can get out of here."

Darien grumbled and kicked Hobbes back, but shook his head to the waiting Franklin.

"Good. All the contact info is in the file. Get to work. I would like to see this wrapped up in days not weeks. Understood?" When there were nods around the table he stepped back. While the laptop was shut down, everyone else got to their feet and made ready to leave. 

Alyx sat for a moment tapping the file thoughtfully. "You guys want to come back to my place for a while?"

"And what makes you think we're gonna work together?" Hobbes queried with a suppressed grin.

"Fine with me, but I can guarantee there are no cabs coming out here and I'm pretty sure you need a ride." Alyx picked up the folder, shoved her chair back, and stood.

"Kid, the 'Fish is supposed to hornswaggle us not you," Bobby complained good-naturedly as he too got to his feet.

"Agent Hobbes, you are under no obligation to work with us personally. Agent Silver thought you would be more comfortable using her resources and working with someone you were familiar with and trusted." Graywolf spoke very formally, maintaining that air of professionalism that would allow Hobbes to move out of the corner he seemed to think he'd been backed into.

Hobbes responded in kind. "Agent Graywolf, given that my contacts in this town are limited, I would be more than pleased to work with both yourself and Agent Silver." He nudged Darien in the back where he still sat, looking through the file. "Right, Fawkes?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Doubt anyone else would give us the time of day, anyway." Darien sounded distracted, he didn't like this one bit. Something felt off about this whole assassination scenario and it was at least partly because of the adventure involving his father.

"Not true. Morris and his goons might not, but thanks to him they don't like me much either. Part of the reason my boss allowed me to try this unit. She knows about our history and, in truth, she finds me more valuable than Morris." Alyx looked over at the man in question and shook her head. "At least I don't have to deal with Miller as well. He's still out at your end of the country."

One of the Secret Service agents appeared then, like a moving shadow. "Agent Silver, if I could a have a word please?"

"Excuse me," Alyx said, and moved off with the agent to be joined with his partner and they began a quiet discussion.

"So, Agent Graywolf, how long have you been working with Alyx?" Darien spoke up after a couple minutes to alleviate the sudden uncomfortable silence, and because he was curious. Alyx hadn't really talked about her partner except in passing and he was beginning to wonder why.

"Three months. She began putting together the unit four months ago while working her own assignments with temporary partners. We worked two missions before she agreed to partner me full time. Technically, the six of us work as a team and are paired off more for temperament and convenience. It's rare that we take separate assignments like this." Graywolf relaxed slightly as he spoke. He hadn't been quite sure how to deal with her previous partners as well as her current lover. But since both men seemed to be taking it in stride he could only attempt to do the same. Even if he could, as of yet, find no justification for her attraction to the man standing before him. Gray had pulled his record and, while his Agency work was impressive, his life before the government was worrying. He couldn't imagine how and ex-con managed to get a job even at the bottom feeding Agency -- even they couldn't be that desperate.

Darien frowned slightly. Three months she'd been paired with this guy and he'd learned less than nothing about him. He glanced over at Alyx, who was still deep in conversation with Heckle and Jeckle, before finding his voice. "And what does this special unit of yours do? Alyx hasn't told me much about it." Not exactly true, she'd pretty much told him all of her hopes and about their recent successes, if not in any great detail due to classified issues.

"Put simply we do and go where others cannot." Gray allowed a slight smile to cross his features. Most reacted to his non-answer with more questions that he would either decline to answer or would answer even more enigmatically.

"Finally using the kid the way she should be, eh? The ole invisible eavesdropping routine, with a little of her computer hacking thrown in, I imagine." Hobbes nodded and just barely kept from smiling at the momentary look of shock on Graywolf's face. "Hey, I helped train her. I know exactly what she's capable of and how I would use her. Glad someone else figured it out as well."

Darien wanted to make a comment about her being 'used,' knowing it was the last thing she wanted, but refrained and, luckily for all of them, the discomfort of trying to deal with each other was ended by her return.

"Okay boys, I'm ready to go. Gray, if you'll have the car brought around we'll get the heck out of here before my headache gets any worse." Alyx rubbed her forehead while Gray pulled out his cell and made the call that should have their car waiting for them when they got topside.

As she led the way out, Hobbes' curiosity got the better of him. "What's up with the Secret Service mooks? Friends of yours?"

"Ah, not exactly? Lets just say I saved their jobs recently and they were thanking me and extending an invitation on behalf of someone." They walked along side by side, garnering first, and second looks by many of those they passed. 

Hobbes snorted. "What? Breakfast with the Commander in Chief?" He caught her slight wince. "Shoot, kid, you saved the President's ass already?"

"No, there was a, ummm... problem with his wife's car that I happened to be in the right place at the right time to notice." Alyx shrugged, like it was no big deal. "I informed her security detail, they fixed the problem, and she never knew what happened. Or so I thought." 

The talk stopped while they were in the elevator, no need for those who didn't need to know to find out what they had going on. No one else who got in spoke either. They nodded politely and smiled, but didn't speak. In fact, the foursome stayed quiet until they were outside, forcing their way through the even more heavily falling snow, and to the SUV that was waiting for them. Both Alyx and Graywolf had long, lined coats appropriate for the weather and, on their walk, Alyx had secured her hair back into a quick ponytail thus keeping it out of her eyes. Darien and Bobby slid into the rear, Graywolf got behind the wheel, and Alyx climbed into the passenger seat. The vehicle was already warm, much to Darien's relief, so his attack of shivers was short-lived.

As Gray pulled away he half turned to see her. "Sil, we clean?"

"We are now," she muttered in obvious irritation. Sensing the confusion from both of her former partners, she turned in her seat to look back at them. "Bugs. A constant and annoying hazard of working in this city."

"Yeah, I remember." Hobbes turned to Darien. "One of the few occasions my paranoia paid off in spades."

"How can you stand living like this?" Darien asked in all seriousness. The changes he'd had to make working for the Agency were almost too much for him, even after all this time, even if some of them had become habit by now. He couldn't imagine how she dealt with it.

Alyx rubbed her forehead. "I just do, I guess. I'm only in town maybe three days a week. The rest of the time I'm either on assignment or ... working on that special project." She switched to her mind voice then and spoke to Hobbes and Darien only. *_Gray doesn't know about my kids or Michele. He only knows Alyx Silver_.*

*_Got it, kid_,* Hobbes responded, unpracticed as he was, he still remembered how. It wasn't something one easily forgets.

*_Alyx_?* Darien wanted to know if there was problem and knew she'd pick up what he was asking.

*_Later, sweets_.* She allowed some of what she was feeling seep into her words. Letting him know she hadn't actually slept since leaving his place early Saturday morning. That she was just as suspicious about this mission as he was. That she was worried about her family, him, her work, and was at a near complete loss on how she was going to work it out.

Darien leaned forward in his seat until his head rested near hers. "How bad?" He moved the hand that appeared to be trying to rub a hole in her forehead to get at the pain.

"Better now that were out of that building. Gah, I hate going in there. Way too many electronics and minds in too small an area. I can't do office buildings easily these days either. Mikey's still trying to figure out why I'm still getting so much bleed through." Alyx turned slightly and didn't release his hand. 

"Still? Thought they had that figured out?" He rubbed his thumb along the side of her hand, making her sigh softly and relax back against the headrest.

"So did they." Her eyes drifted shut for a moment and when she opened them they were glazed with exhaustion.

"Rest, Sil. You haven't slept in three days. In this weather and traffic it's going to take at least an hour to get to your place." He took one hand off the wheel and cupped her face for a second. "You need to recharge before we get to work. Please."

"All right, you ogre." She batted his hand away with a tired grin and turned back to Darien. "My guardian, or so you'd think."

"He's right kid, even I can tell you're wiped. We ain't going nowhere. Catch some z's." Hobbes had leaned forward as well, prepared to intervene if Fawkes got it into his head to get upset with the way her partner was behaving. For himself, he wasn't too worried ... yet. He knew the kid was devoted to Fawkes and her partner had made it plain with his attitude that he considered himself her protector as well as partner. Though there was a bit of a vibe coming off the guy... Hobbes shook it off. It was far too early to go getting all suspicious. Give it another 24 hours, then he'd check the lay of the land.

"You too?" Alyx asked Darien and he simply squeezed her hand in reply. "Sheesh, you'd think I couldn't handle my own life." She managed about half a smile before yawning. The heat and the comfort of having three friends near allowing her to relax and drop her guard for the first time in days. "Thanks, guys." She was asleep within minutes.

When Darien finally settled back into his seat, sure she would remain out for a while, he rubbed his face in his hands.

"Fawkes?" Hobbes asked, leaning over to whisper the words. Graywolf might be the kid's partner, but he wasn't theirs.

"She's just tired. I hope she's just tired." Darien looked at Hobbes. "You know how she can get. Little Miss do everything. I... I think its getting to her."

Hobbes grunted in agreement. "Maybe we can help."

Darien shrugged and stretched his legs out, appreciating the fact he didn't have to sit with his knees shoved up into his chin. Alyx must have taken her far taller partner into consideration when choosing a vehicle. "I think she might have to work this one out herself."


	3. Chapter 3

*3*

It had taken closer to two hours to get near her place due to an accident on their route that they had only partially been able to bypass. The weather had gotten progressively worse, not a blizzard, but one hell of a storm. The big sticky flakes had turned into small hard wind driven spikes of near ice, coating everything and turning the roadways into a dangerous sheet of smooth glass, that even the tires of hundreds of cars couldn't keep warm enough to prevent it from hardening.

Graywolf, after consulting with the two other agents, had stopped at a deli near Alyx's place and picked up an assortment of foodstuffs, as he was unsure what she had on hand. Her place turned out be a quiet, small apartment complex that catered to those in top-level government work. It was secure, guarded, and designed to reduce the potential for spies. Lots of trees to block views, thick walls to reduce sounds being transmitted, thick glass in the windows that had both shutters and heavy curtains, built in security -- top of the line, Darien noted -- that even Bobby had grunted in approval of. The place was wired for high-end computer systems with regular and secure lines. Everything a government employee could want. For Alyx it was also good because the community was small and somewhat out of the way. Quieter for her both mentally and physically. Plus, given her odd hours, she was less likely to disturb her neighbors.

She had slept through the entire ride to her place and had to be woken once they arrived. Darien had been tempted to let her sleep and just carry her inside, but Graywolf had been able to wake her with a few words in some language Darien didn't recognize, though she had grumbled about it. Then, once they got inside, she started blowing up things. Light bulbs for the most part, and she didn't even have to be turning them on. Growling in irritation at herself she made a beeline for the kitchen to make some coffee as soon as coats had been hung and damp shoes placed near a radiator in the hallway to dry.

There was yet another distinctive pop and the sound of glass hitting the tiled floor. "Ah hell," Alyx snarled from the kitchen.

"Sil..." Gray shook his head and got up and moved from the dining room where they'd been eating the lunch they'd picked up, to go see what had happened, or what she had managed to destroy this time. 

A few minutes later Gray pushed open the swinging door that led to the kitchen from the dining room and held it while Alyx walked through carrying a mug of coffee. She now paraded around barefoot on the smooth warm wood of her floor. She sat down across from Darien and sighed in irritation.

"I killed the fluorescent this time." She sipped the coffee. "It has got to be the weather, my control is never this bad."

"Eat," Gray all but ordered.

"Not now. Too nauseous. Later, I promise." She tipped her head up to face him and, after taking a moment to look her over, he nodded. 

Perching on the chair next to Alyx, Gray caught Bobby's eye. "The city is shutting down, including the government offices. Even our assassin, if he's in town, isn't going anywhere tonight."

"Speaking of that, how are we supposed to figure out who we're looking for with no info?" It wasn't that Darien had no experience with this type of scenario, but they'd always had some sort of clue or lead to start with. With the Chameleon there had been the girlfriend, Layla. With Forester Perdue, his dad, there had been, much like this time, the assassination threat, but with more details. With that senator's daughter, there had been that string of accidents both on and off the movie set to follow along with the money trail. In the Brookman case there had been the poison to trace. Always something. "We can't just watch this Keller 24/7 and hope we spot the guy before he pulls the trigger or whatever his preferred method is." 

"Actually we could, but that's probably what Morris and his cronies are going to do. I'm betting the kid here has a way to find our guy." Hobbes leaned back in his seat feeling well fed and confident. "Like I told you, we have all the info we need. Don't we, kid?"

"Enough to narrow the field anyway," Alyx agreed. She couldn't help but feel the irritation crawling through Darien. Some of the subtler aspects of the job still slipped past him on occasion. "Dare, what did Franklin say our target was doing when he went AWOL?"

"Uh, spying in China. Why?" He hated when he realized he was missing something... something usually very obvious.

"Well, as you pointed out, a corn-fed white boy would stand out." Alyx laid out the precious crumb, certain he'd catch on with little trouble.

Darien thought about it for a moment, then groaned at himself. "So the guy has to be Chinese, of course."

"Or close enough in looks to pass, plus he'd need to be fluent in the language, the behavior patterns, the works. He'd need to blend in perfectly," Hobbes added, crossing his arms across his chest.

"And it has to be a 'he.' Women are still considered second class citizens in China. More so now than 15 years ago," Graywolf put in. "That narrows our field dramatically."

"Fifteen years ago... That's like Reagan era, Tiananmen Square and all. Right?" Darien was talking more to himself, but the others nodded in agreement. 

"Thereabouts," Graywolf confirmed. "We'll set up a search to try and find a match for our target and second one to get more intel on this Keller. Maybe figure out why he's being targeted."

"Yeah, they were more than a little reluctant to part with any information on either man." Bobby's suspicions having finally found a way to the surface he shared them with the rest, hoping he'd get some agreement. "Did you pick up anything, kid?"

"Not really. It's obvious they know more, but I was not willing to probe deeply to find out what. Not everyone knows what I can do and we'd like to keep it that way." Alyx finished her coffee and pushed herself to her feet. The headache was still pounding away, but not as painfully, just a dull throbbing that she could ignore for the most part. "Come on, I'll show you my set up."

They followed along as she led the way deeper into her apartment. The place was good-sized at about 1200 square feet of space, though only sparingly decorated. There were a pair of bedrooms, one obviously hers and the second had been turned into an office. The windows shuttered heavily from the inside as a precaution. Not perfect security wise, but not bad either. She had a sofa that Bobby was willing to bet hid a bed, several file cabinets, and a desk that filled one wall. There were two monitors, assorted keyboards and peripherals -- the usual crap -- three tower style computers and, finally her laptop. He was betting the computers were daisy chained together and could run multiple functions at once much like the ones in the Keep. Alyx had never been known for doing things halfway.

"Which way, Sil?" Gray asked, as he sat in what was obviously _his_ chair. 

"Have the main run the target, that search is gonna need the power. I'll have the laptop research Keller, his records should be far more public." She powered up the laptop and watched as Bobby began poking about the room. "Make sure to use the secure line, Gray."

"Of course." He was already tapping keys to access the various databases where the info they were looking for might be hidden. "I'm going to need your access code."

Alyx nodded as she set up the search for background data on Keller. They should have hits within minutes for him. The other would probably take hours. When Gray signaled, her she keyed in her password, and was granted access to several very top-secret databases, but there were others even she couldn't get into. With her security clearance anyway. If necessary she'd force her way in to get the information they needed.

Bobby made a few suggestions for search parameters and then it was just a matter of waiting to see what, if any, hits the computer made. The laptop had preliminary information for them within 20 minutes. Keller had been in government service one way or another since graduating from college. Nothing spectacular, or so it seemed. Large portions seemed to be glossed over; his stint in the CIA, for example. The information was mostly classified -- not surprising -- but usually there would mentions of units, bosses, etceteras, but there was nothing. Like it had been removed or something. Her access should get her at least basic information on what he'd been doing, though not the more detailed field reports and the like, but she was coming up blank and she didn't like it one little bit. 

After the CIA he moved to the Trade Representative doing research for various projects, though for some odd reason the details were, again, unavailable. He moved up in the ranks until just recently appointed to the State Department and was currently working on project to broaden treaties and trade agreements with the Chinese government. A thankless job given the current state of affairs in that country and the deep depression their economy had fallen into recently.

The conditions in the country had deteriorated rapidly in the last four or five years and the current government seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact. Information Alyx had run into through the intelligence community suggested the situation in China was worse than that during the Cold War years in the USSR. She growled softly and turned away from the screen, hoping that if she gave it some more time something of actual use would magically appear, but it was looking like leg work was going to be needed to find anything on this Keller. There had to be a paper trail somewhere all they had to do was find it.

"Half this intel is crap," Bobby complained, looking over her shoulder at the information.

"I'm not surprised," Gray rumbled from a few feet away. "I met the man several years ago. You can almost smell the secrets he hides." He had spun the chair around to look about the room. "If the search doesn't pan out I might know of someone to call."

"Huh. I had a feeling you would. You've worked out of D. C. for a while haven't you?" Bobby turned from the computer and walked across the room to lean against one of the file cabinets.

"Over 10 years. I know my way around and my share of skeletons." He shrugged. "It's unavoidable."

"What's this unit you put together called?" Darien asked from where he was slumped on the sofa. He had pushed up his sleeves and was resting on his right hand, the tattoo easily visible.

"Mirage," Gray told them, and saw the look on Bobby's face. "Yeah, same name, but that group was considered defunct in the early 70s. Names get recycled."

"And it was shorter than 'Smoke and Mirrors'." Alyx got to her feet and stretched, her back popping softly. "The name fits and it's accurate for what we do."

"You mentioned you had two other 'gifted' people. What does that mean?" Hobbes grabbed a nearby folding chair, set it up, and sat down in it backwards.

"We have a psychometrist and a far-seer, uh ... you'd call him a remote-viewer." Alyx sank down next to Darien feeling tired. The nap had helped to ease the headache, but she needed several hours of real sleep to recharge. It was looking like she might actually get it tonight, as no one was going anywhere until the weather broke and the crews got a chance to find the roads under the layers of snow and ice that were falling from the heavens.

"Okay, I've heard of remote viewing; various governments 'round the world have done work with that. Real big back in the 50s and 60s, but what's a psycho-whatsis?" Hobbes didn't seem all that surprised, considering all he'd seen over the years, and more recently since working with Darien and herself, he was taking it in stride.

"They read objects. Right?" Darien turned slightly to look at Alyx. "Kinda like how you read people."

"Exactly right. Both had been using their abilities on the sly and Sil somehow figured it out. Asked them if they'd be interested in working together." He turned back to the computer for a moment. "Sil, I need that code, again."

Alyx got to her feet and joined him, typing in an access code that a lot of people didn't know she had and that she made sure to use only on rare occasions. When she finished she stood and leaned back against the desk, pressed lightly against Gray's side. "I don't know if I can explain it. They just... feel different. There were a few others, but Cowan and Stiles came across as the most approachable. Not everyone is comfortable, or willing, to admit they have gifts that make them a bit different."

"What good is the set-up? I mean, how do the three of you work together?" Darien was truly curious.

Alyx grinned. "Working with you two gave me the idea. Look, we get a piece of evidence and Stiles can verify if it came from our target, or can read, say, the walls of a location and learn if our target has been there. Cowan can _see_ over long distances. Can and has told us if our target is present or not, depending on need, thus allowing me to get in and do whatever the current job requires. Better than audio and video spy crap and far less likely to be discovered or jammed." 

Darien had begun to nod about half way through seeing the sense of the set up and how well those talents could work together. "But what about him?" He waved at Graywolf, wondering how the 'ordinary' partners fit into the mix.

"We protect them. We're not exactly handlers or Keepers, per se, but some of the functions are similar. When Cowan does his seeing he goes into a trance-like state and is very vulnerable. His partner guards him and relays the information. Often Cowan is nowhere near the actual location." Gray locked eyes with Bobby. "You understand, yes?"

"Yeah, I get it. Which explains why they picked you for the kid. When she goes down, she tends to do it big time." He grinned over at Darien. "Much like my partner. Gets his ass kicked real regular-like."

"That she does. There is a doctor who works specifically with her due to her unique metabolism, but she has no Keeper the way she did at the Agency. This Michael she mentioned helps as well, though he works elsewhere." His tone of voice made it clear he wasn't entirely satisfied with the situation, but was unable to do more than complain about it. "Now, if I could just convince her to sleep more often, she might not get quite so many headaches."

"Nag," Alyx grumped. "I'm busy and can stay up three days straight, unlike you normal humans." She glared at her computer screens for a minute, then sighed. "Though it's looking like tonight sleep will be about it. Hope you guys don't mind a slumber party, 'cause you ain't getting back to your hotel tonight."

"You got the room kid?" Hobbes asked.

She nodded. "The sofa in here folds out to full size bed and the one out in the living room is actually quite comfortable. I have plenty of linens and food. We'll be fine, provided the power doesn't go out."

Darien wagged a finger at her. "Don't jinx it." Which made her smile. "So what do we do while the computers do their thing?"

"Normally I'd go to the source, but that's looking to be out. Can't get to the CIA building right now." Hobbes got to his feet and folded the chair, returning it to its spot. "Got any good movies, kid?"

Gray snorted. "Better to ask what she doesn't have. Though I think we'll keep her from the electronics tonight. No need to risk blowing up the TV... again."

She swatted him on the shoulder. "Hey, it's not my fault." With the exception of Alyx, they all began to laugh, causing her to sigh dramatically. "Making fun of me and my... my condition." 

Darien got up and moved to stand in front of her, those deep brown eyes of his trying valiantly to look sorrowful, but the smile lingered in them. "Ah, we like you anyway."

"Oaf." Alyx grinned, shoving him. Hobbes left the room with Gray, already debating what they were going to watch first.

"And where might I be sleeping tonight?" Darien reached out to run his fingers through the hair by her temple.

"The floor?" When he pouted she caved. "Well, it so happens I have this king size bed that tends to be very empty. I think there might be room for you... if you can behave."

"Oh, I think I can manage that. 'Til we're in the bed that is."

***

Darien awoke with a jerk, his heart pounding, and looked about the darkened room in confusion, while he tried to calm himself and remember just where the hell he was. It was the realization that he was quite naked under the blankets that gave him the necessary clue as to his whereabouts. D.C. Alyx's place. They'd been semi-stranded by one hell of a spring snowstorm. Now that he had figured out that much, he began to look about for the woman he had thought he'd gone to bed with. Sitting up and rubbing the back of his head he located the clock on the bureau across the room, the lighted numbers revealing it was a bit after 3:00 am.

The evening had been... interesting. Hobbes and Graywolf had somehow managed to get along just fine, and it took Darien less than an hour to figure out they were cut from the same cloth, even though Gray was a good decade younger than Hobbes. Both had had their gung-ho, anything for the job world view bumped slightly out of alignment so that, while defending the country and other such crap was important, they didn't necessarily do it by-the-book anymore. They were both loyal as hell once you had earned their trust and, just as Darien knew Bobby would do his damnedest to protect Darien's sorry ass, Gray made it plain he would do the same for Alyx. Even if it meant running roughshod over her former partners.

Gray and Hobbes had turned the afternoon into a spies-are-us reunion meeting, and flipped between movies and the local news updates. Alyx had moved into the huge eat-in kitchen, where she had a small TV/radio combo to keep an eye on the weather, and worked on some projects that didn't require the computers, which were still attempting find some information of use. Darien split his time between sharing stories and watching movies in the living room, and hovering over Alyx as she worked. Whatever she was doing was fairly complex from the look of it since, at one point, she had several dozen sheets of paper with obscure drawings and words he couldn't read, spread across the floor. She sat in the middle of, rubbing her head and twisting her neck out of tension.

He had wanted to offer his help, but wasn't sure he could be of any, so he'd settled for sitting behind her and trying to work the kinks out of her shoulders and neck for a time. She had allowed herself to be distracted by him for a good 30 minutes, until a phone call pulled her back into the land of work. He given her a quick kiss on the cheek and wandered back out to see what their partners were up to.

After cooking a fairly simple dinner of green salad and oven fried chicken with country gravy, Alyx had finally given in to her body's needs around eight o'clock and taken a hot shower. Afterwards she pulled out linens and pillows for the various sleeping areas, leaving it to the guys argue about who was sleeping where. Gray had actually managed to embarrass himself by offering the bed in the office to Darien, to which Alyx pointed out Darien already had a place to sleep. Behind the slight flush Darien caught a hint of anger and perhaps jealousy in the man's eyes, but wasn't about to let it stop him from curling up with her. He'd take every stolen moment he could.

Alyx had braided her hair once it was mostly dry, said her goodnights, and stumbled off to bed just before 10 p.m. Very early for her, which meant she was completely wiped and might very well sleep for more than the few short hours her body usually allowed her. When Darien had crawled in with her just over an hour later ? after catching the late news that informed them the storm would probably continue until tomorrow afternoon. He found her curled up in the middle of the bed, buried under piles of blankets; a warm little huddle of a human who just happened to be quite unclothed.

Darien debated all for 30 seconds about the merits of attempting to wake her and decided against, only to have her snuggle right up against him an utter a mumbled, "What took you so long?" This led to leisurely, languorous love making session that left Darien feeling more than relaxed enough to actually fall asleep, even though his body was still convinced it was not nearly as late as the clock across the room insisted. Jet lag sucked.

But now he was awake with the scent of cold, deep cold, wafting through the room and Alyx nowhere to be found. Slipping out from under the covers, he found his pants draped over the chair where he'd left them and pulled them on. Grabbing a blanket off the bed he wrapped it about his shoulders and moved off to go find her. He really didn't think she'd be in the office, not with Hobbes most likely snoring away in there. The kitchen maybe? Trying to catch up on more work? 

He caught movement of the curtains along the outside wall out of the corner of his eye and went to investigate. Instead of the expected window he found a pair of French doors which were not closed tightly. Looking past the frosted panes of thick glass, he saw a figure on the deck, which appeared to run the length of her apartment explaining where the doors off her living room led.

Steeling himself against the chill, he stepped outside barefoot and cringed, pulling the blanket tighter about himself. Deciding he liked his toes, he Quicksilvered his feet, the insulating properties of the substance keeping his feet relatively warm. Though the rest of him was not very happy.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" He stepped behind her, surprised to find her in only a thin bathrobe and slippers.

"Couldn't sleep. Sorry." She leaned against the railing and looked out at the snow falling, even as Darien wrapped his arms and the blanket about her. His warmth pressed against her back.

"Alyx, what's wrong?" He pulled her as close as she would let him, trying to warm her chilled body. She'd been out here for a while based on the dusting of snow that had managed to settle atop her head without melting.

"I... Nothing. Nothing is wrong." Alyx couldn't even convince herself she meant the words. "Sorry I dragged you guys across the country for this." She waved a hand at the snow falling about them.

"Alyx... You didn't drag us across the country. If the Fat Man hadn't wanted us here, we wouldn't be, and you know it." He lifted a hand and turned her face so he could look her in the eye. "Talk to me. It's later."

"I... I miss my kids. I miss spending time with you. I have about 15 things I need to be doing right now, and that's before my own personal projects." She groaned. "Damn it, I forgot to transfer the data to Eberts."

"Eberts?" Confusion was foremost for the moment. "Alyx, what the hell is going on?"

"This stays between us, okay? Gray doesn't know about this." He nodded, just wanting some answers. "As your experience with the FBI showed, the Agency is the only one who knows about Chrysalis as an entity. There are plenty of people who've been bought or persuaded by their agents, but they don't really know about Chrysalis itself." She turned about completely and looked up at him. "I keep my eyes open and pass along anything involving them to the 'Fish. Both local and international. Any bit of intel is another piece of the puzzle and, right now, the Agency is the only organization to realize there's even a puzzle to be built."

He pulled her close until her head was buried against his chest, the snow melting against his skin. "You can't do it all. Do you even take the time to just be you? To enjoy a quiet moment?"

"Thought that's what I was trying to do," she muttered and turned back around to look out at the snow. While she had never been overly fond of the cold, she had discovered that when she altered her sight to see energy signatures, the snowfall, already a lovely sight in its own right, became an astonishing dance of glowing blue forms, that drifted and reacted to even the slightest of breezes. She could spend hours watching it and never understand the permutations of the movement, nor the quiet beauty that was created. She was beginning to think this was a really bad idea, hunch or no hunch. The emotions radiating off all three men, all similar, yet each with his own distinctive... flavor, doing nothing more than sending her confusion to a new level.

"Why didn't you tell me about Gray?" Darien knew he was probably going to anger her with the question, that it was going to end up becoming an issue between them, that he was terrified of her answer, but he had to know. If... if she was falling for the man then he would have to do something. What? He wasn't sure, but considering the physical distance between the two of them, he would probably bow out, no matter how much it hurt, if it gave her some happiness.

"What's to tell? He's my partner, he's a damn good agent, and I trust him." His words leaving Alyx feeling even more confused. Gray was swiftly becoming a friend as well as her partner and in this line of work, especially, she could use all the friends she could get. Friends outside of the government were at risk because of her, so, although Michele kept contact with her more mundane friends, Alyx had very few she could really trust, really talk to, really be herself with. Talents and all.

Suddenly irritated by her answer that, to him, wasn't one, he snapped, "You sleeping with him too?"

It took Alyx a couple of minutes to find her voice through the anger and sadness that shot through her. When had he begun to doubt her? When had he stopped trusting her? When had he forgotten how she felt about him? His anger and discomfort kept rising the longer she was silent, she could feel it, had to feel it he was so much a part of her. When he was at that breaking point, about to turn away in total disgust and leave her standing there alone, she forced herself to speak calmly. "If you mean have we shared bed space on a mission or such, then yes. If you mean have we had sex, then no." Then she let her unhappiness get the better of her. "Though if you prefer it that way I can. I imagine he'd be quite skilled considering his CTS rating."

Her words stated in such a matter of fact tone caused his heart to plummet about six stories and the Quicksilver keeping his feet reasonably comfortable to fall away, the flakes to become just another, if unique, layer in the snow. When he spoke his voice was choked, "You gonna try and tell me you aren't attracted to him?"

Alyx wanted to weep at his heartache. The pain forming into a tight lump somewhere in the vicinity of her heart. "Dare, he's a very attractive man -- to all my senses -- but that doesn't mean I'm attracted to him." The sudden urge, the need to run away, overcame her then and she did her best to pull away, but his hands came down firmly on her shoulders stopped her. "Let me go," she pleaded at a whisper. "Please." Her hand came up to move one of his and she was once again unintentionally sharing everything she was with him. 

But he held steady, let the emotions run through him without flinching away. "Damn it," he mumbled into her hair. "I'm a fool." He was thankful when she allowed him to wrap himself about her. "I... Some days it's too much. Being away from you. Forgive me." 

"Always," she said without hesitation. They held each other close, ignoring the falling snow, the need to comfort, to reassure each other overriding any discomfort due to the weather. After several minutes other needs and desires arose as well. Each wanting to show the other exactly what their feelings meant and the robe Alyx wore was soon open, revealing she wore nothing but his necklace beneath. The cold air was an oddly erotic addition to the dance they were performing. The snow that landed upon them swiftly melting to run in rivulets upon their bodies and making her shiver in shock and realize they were going to freeze their asses off -- literally -- if they didn't head inside. It didn't take much encouragement to get Darien moving in the right direction and shortly thereafter the door was shut, their clothes were shed, and they were finding each other once again.

With a soft growl of irritation, Gray let the curtain fall back into place and tried to not think about what they were most likely doing just a few short feet away from him. She was his partner and therefore off limits, yet he couldn't stop himself from wanting. Wanting to be with her, wanting to be able to touch her, wanting to be able to do something with the god damn hard-on he was now very uncomfortably aware of, besides suffer. For an instant he debated interrupting them, intruding on their moment with some lame excuse involving work. That was the one thing he knew would draw her away no matter how far along things had gone. But he didn't. Instead he lay back down on the sofa and tried to convince various parts of his anatomy that there was nothing for them to do, no one for them to enjoy, and wouldn't be for as long as he was partnered to her. His body ignored him and continued its demands for satisfaction right now.

Eventually he fell back to sleep, but only after the soft cries that he could just barely hear from her bedroom had died away and silence once again reigned.


	4. Chapter 4

*4*

The solid thud of ... something followed by voluble cursing emanating from the office pulled Bobby from the kitchen where'd he'd been listening to the morning news and drinking a cup of coffee. Poking his head in he checked to make sure nothing was currently flying about before stepping in. "Kid, why're you beating up the inanimate objects again?"

She sighed heavily. "Sorry, Bobby. I'm just a bit irritated. Someone has to have pulled the information on these guys out of the system."

"What do you mean, kid?" Hobbes set a hand on her shoulder, surprised by the suppressed anger that he could pick up off her.

"Like this," She pressed a few keys and pointed to the screen. "This is part of what we downloaded overnight, but when I go to access the file itself..." More keys were tapped only to have the screen proclaim it was a non-existent file. "I get this bullshit. Someone is hiding something and it's pissing me off."

Hobbes pulled her away from the computers. "Calm down, kid. We got hits for the target, right?"

"Yes, about a dozen."

"Then we run a crosscheck search with Keller and see what pops up. Or what doesn't." Hobbes waited for the look of understanding to brighten her features.

"Damn, I need to start using this overpriced brain of mine. If they yanked intel on both, there should be a big gaping hole that matches." Alyx relaxed in his hold, feeling more than a bit foolish.

Hobbes nodded. "Exactly, kid. Based on what we do have, we know both Keller and the target were in the CIA at the same time. Maybe they were partners or something. Who knows, maybe they were lovers and the bosses found out. Weirder things have happened."

Alyx stifled a snicker. "Understatement, Bobby. All right, let me set this up, but I have the feeling its not going to go anywhere. Maybe we can eliminate a person or two. Just tracking them down is going to be fun. All have secured files that I can't get access to from here. So far I can only get some basic background data. I might be able to find out if they are still working, things like that."

"Good enough. We ain't going anywhere fast. The city is socked in. They're saying tomorrow at the earliest." He noticed the way she tensed. "Kid, is this gonna be a problem. Us here?"

"I... I'm not sure. You and Gray are getting along okay, right?" Alyx completed programming the new searches and turned about to face him, leaning back against the desk.

"Yeah, but I bet you knew we would." He tipped his head to the side thinking. "It's Fawkes you're worried about, or Gray. Maybe both?"

Alyx didn't know what to say. She was pretty sure Darien believed her proclamation of loyalty, since it was the truth. She had never looked at Gray as more than a partner and friend and had never really picked up on anything beyond that from him, and they had been in a few tight situations that very easily could have led to something, but hadn't. She hadn't asked Darien why he'd thought she'd been sleeping Gray, but she was beginning to think she'd been completely blind to something and it was annoying.

"Kid, its damn obvious Gray cares about you as more than a partner. I'm guessing you never noticed." Hobbes figured honesty would be the best way to go. He was a little disconcerted when she sank into the chair and pinched the bridge of her nose, like when she was getting a headache.

"Damn it, no I never noticed. I mean, I know he cares about me. Can't help but know that. Hell, I care about him, but as a friend." She paused irritated at herself. "It's amazing exactly how blind I can be even with my little talents." Alyx hated crap like this. Hated how complicated even simple things had become in her life. Once again, she found herself wishing she was home, snuggled up before the fireplace with the kids and a good book. Or maybe outdoors, going sledding with them, romping in the snow without a care in the world and no memory of this facet of her life. With a sigh, her headache returned and she began rubbing her temples to try to ease it even though she knew it wouldn't help.

Bobby didn't smile at her comment, knowing that things had just gotten far more complicated for her. "Kid... Alyx, try not to worry about this now, we have a job to do; deal with it later."

"I wish it was that god damned simple, Bobby. Maybe you and Darien should go your own way on this one. Once we get you free of here, that is." Alyx got to her feet and began organizing some of the data she had printed out. She wanted to go through the basic profiles of the 12 potential targets on hard copy, see if she could eliminate some on her own.

"If that's the way you want to play it, sure, but I'd rather not. You and your hunches are rarely wrong. 'Sides how often are we going to get to work together. Lets make the most of it." Hobbes grinned and added in an eyebrow wiggle, that finally got the serious expression to break, a lopsided grin appearing on her face.

"Thanks, Bobby." She gave him a swift hug and then, papers in hand, left the room to head to the kitchen, where she found a sleepy Darien who was trying to figure out how to make her carafe give up its contents. She removed it from his hands and poured him a cup, adding the Sweet-n-Low and cream that he preferred. 

He grabbed her about the waist and mumbled, "Thank you," into her hair before turning her loose and stumbling over to the small table in the kitchen.

She couldn't stop the smile, he was always amusing in the morning and, with jet lag added in, he was doing his version of _Day of the Dead_. "You could have slept in, you know. The city is still closed." She waved at the TV that was on, but kept the sound off. It was showing idiot reporters standing in the snow and telling everyone what they already knew -- that it was snowing and that the city was currently a haven for ski mobiles and kids who were thrilled at a day out of school.

He gulped down a mouthful of coffee. "Cold. No warm body to snuggle with any more." He gave her the puppy eyes, trying for a little guilt on her part, but she simply snorted. 

"Lousy excuse there, bub." Still she gave him a kiss on the cheek, sat next to him, and began going through the profiles before her. They'd set the parameters to look back as far as 25 years, since they didn't even have an age for the target. She was surprised there were only 12 viable candidates. She set them on the table, staggered atop one another so she could see the pictures provided -- none of which were current -- and hoped one would jump out at her, but on this occasion none did.

"What're you doin'?" Darien asked around a yawn.

"These are the hits for the target, I was hoping one would ... feel right, but none do." She sighed and pulled out the first one to go over the basic statistics.

"What are we looking for?" He pulled over a couple of the sheets and perused the information as he began to wake up. "We don't even know age right? Just think there's a connection to Keller?"

"Right. Keller is in his 40s, wife, kids. The usual crap." Alyx turned her head to look at his profile, "Though it is kind of weird that there's no details, no pics. In politics your family is often your showpiece, whether or not the marriage is real or just convenient. I'm not sure they even live in the area."

"And you're saying there's no info?" Darien asked. Alyx nodded and moved onto the next candidate. "So what does that mean?"

Alyx shrugged. "It means someone doesn't want us to know."

"The ole need to know," Bobby said in a singsong voice as he entered the room. "Morning, Fawkes. Did you get any sleep?" he teased.

"He got plenty, thank you very much, as did I. Now, be good, or I'll make you walk to your hotel." Alyx was smiling. She had missed the teasing. Her relationship with her new friends wasn't quite the same. Bobby, Claire, and Darien had helped take an angry, scared woman and given her a reason to care, to live again, and they would always hold a very special place in her life.

"Cruel. Guess you don't want the info your fancy computer spit out then," Bobby commented casually as he poured himself another cup of coffee. When he caught her closing her eyes, obviously intent on getting the information for herself he interrupted, "Hey, no cheating there. Let me have my moment in the sun." He glanced out the window at the dim light coming through the heavy cloud cover. "Well, in the snow anyway."

Alyx cracked open one eye and grinned. "Please let it be good news."

"The new search narrowed it down to two." He handed over the printouts for her to look at. "But we can't get any more info from here. We have to get to the database on site, maybe even the hard copies in the archives."

"Well, that ain't going to happen any time soon," Darien remarked as he looked over the pages as well, one of which was the one he'd picked out of the group.

"Not true," Gray rumbled from behind them. He was fresh from the shower, his hair hanging loose down his back, and dampening his T-shirt. "It's in the garage, right?"

"Yeah, but I was hoping... Never mind." She glanced over at the clock. "Give it another hour and we'll get moving."

Gray nodded in agreement and took his turn at the coffee and then began preparing breakfast for all of them.

"Kid?" Hobbes was curious as hell.

"We're gonna plow the road, Hobbesy," Alyx answered, then turned back to the pages, trying to squeeze some more insight out of the information before her. To no avail.

The snow was falling even more heavily than overnight, it seemed, but it was just snow. No more ice balls or sleet. The wind had died down to only the occasional breeze, but there were still drifts -- some taller than Alyx -- that they waded around, heading for the garages of the apartment complex. Once they arrived, Darien groaned, as the doors were buried under a drift nearly as tall as he was and looked to be fairly solid. But Alyx simply waved them back out of the way and, with a reasonably controlled blast of her mind, scattered the drift in to the air, distributing the snow fairly evenly about the area, and leaving the door completely accessible. She punched in her access code and the door creakily lifted up, not enjoying the cold any more than the rest of them.

Bobby gaped, recognizing the vehicle from their visit to her house in Newport the previous summer. "Kid..."

"You have a Hummer stashed in the garage and drive around a Expedition. You must be getting paid damn well," Darien commented, impressed, and wondering how he could get in on the deal.

Alyx waved them into the garage itself. "The Expedition is a company car. The Hummer is mine. I commute, remember? And driving leaves far fewer records than flying." Walking around to the front end she sighed. "Forgot I took the damn thing off. Now, where did I put it..." She looked about the dimly lit room until she found what she was looking for. "Watch your heads, guys."

That was all the warning she provided before a plow blade was lowered from a storage shelf along one wall and to the front of the vehicle. She trailed along until it was lined up correctly and Hobbes, who was the nearest, made the connections, and tightened down the bolts.

"Kid, do you think of everything?" Hobbes asked, shaking his head.

"It took exactly one snowstorm for me to decide a plow would be worth the money. I had the winch added as well." She shrugged and opened the driver's door and started the beast with a roar that nearly deafened Darien.

"Just so long as the thing has heat," Darien complained, as he blew on his hands while Gray set the laptop case on the floor in back and then climbed in behind the wheel. He tested the controls for the plow and Alyx gave a thumbs up when everything worked like it should. Darien and Hobbes climbed in back; getting the doors shut just before Gray backed the Hummer out of the garage. He spent a minute adjusting the plow so that it was moving the snow out of their way. Alyx joined Gray up front after shutting and locking the garage door.

"Ready?" Gray waited for Alyx's nod and started moving. The visibility was low, only about a quarter mile at best, and the roads were practically invisible under the layers of snow and ice. That was why Gray was driving, Alyx could find the roads under the snow and keep them on track while Gray could manhandle the vehicle. They weren't overly concerned about being on the correct side of the road, as there was very few others out. A few emergency and police vehicles, as well as the occasional plow trying to keep at least the main roads open, with little success. There were a few snowmobiles and the rare skier, who were either out just enjoying the weather or, much like themselves, _had_ to be someplace.

When they came upon drifts that were more than the plow could handle Alyx dealt with them, punching her way through with blasts of her mind. One way or another they plowed the road. The drive to the Langley CIA headquarters took about three times as long as normal, but they had been expecting that. The guard at the gate was only slightly surprised when they pulled up and flashed their badges, since there was a scattering of cars in the employee parking lot, mostly higher ranks who felt they had to come in. About half of those vehicles also had plows and were trucks or SUVs, mostly personal vehicles, so hers would not really look out of place. They ignored the assigned parking and joined the crowd huddled near the side entrance to the building; just one more employee who had work, which could not wait and needed to be here snowstorm or no.

Someone had shoveled a pathway from the parking lot to the door, but it had since partially filled back in and Alyx decided her toes were cold enough and cleared the path right down to the concrete sidewalk, within minutes they were indoors. Alyx spent a few moments chatting with guard stationed inside to get an idea of who was in the building and get Bobby and Darien signed in as guests. They had the clearance because they were assigned to the special task force, so it was just the filling out of the standard government paperwork that needed to be done. In short order, they had their visitor passes, and were following Gray deeper into the building.

"Office?" Gray slowed to come alongside Alyx.

"No, head right down to the archives we can try the comps there and if worse comes to worse the hard copies." She turned to Bobby. "You keep up with the filing schtick?"

"Don't make me hurt you," Hobbes growled and wagged his finger at her.

"Aw, Hobbesy, too much bonding with Ebes?" Darien ribbed, doing his damnedest to keep the smile off his face. "The 'Fish still punishes him with filing," he whispered conspiratorially to Alyx.

"Ebes ain't that bad and his filing system is pretty damn straightforward compared to this place." Alyx dug out a key for the elevator they had stopped before. "You know for all that I complained about the lack of decent security at the Agency, at least I could find things there."

"Sil, just key the floor would you." Gray gave her a gentle push to get her moving, and she gave him a mock glare even as she slid the key into place to access the lower levels of the building.

In no time at all they were in the research room, where seemingly acres of computers were set up for agents, and others with special clearance, to come to access a variety of information stored in the database buried in a sub-basement. Alyx had spent quite a bit of time in this room as well as in the stacks of files and storage cabinets in the room beyond the security locked double doors.

Choosing a terminal at random, she turned on the monitor and pulled her laptop out and set it up as well. Once everything was ready she made herself comfortable, keyed in her access number, and began the search.

"How you want to do this, kid?" Bobby was looking about the far too quiet room. They appeared to be the only ones in here at the moment, which wasn't all that surprising given the weather that was screaming away outside. They all knew there were others in various parts of the building -- just because the weather was bad here didn't mean there weren't missions being run in dozens of locations around the globe. In fact, the few cars outside probably represented only a fraction of the people actually in the building at this time. Only nonessential personnel had the snow day off. Though it may seem to an outsider that the US government only ran Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., it was far from the reality. Much like NY City, D.C. and its nearby relations never truly shut down.

Alyx was typing away on the CIA computer, trying to convince it that she did indeed have the clearance to access the files on the two targets her system had narrowed it down to. All the others that the original search had turned up were either still working for the government, had retired and were at known locations, or were dead. Only these last two fit both the timeframe and were unaccounted for.

"Ummm, gimme a minute," she answered, sounding distracted as the computer tried to tell her things she didn't want to hear. "No more data available, my Aunt Brigid," she growled at it.

Darien dragged over a chair and plopped himself down next to her at the workstation. "Let me guess, you do have an Aunt Brigid."

"Great Aunt actually." She grinned and half-turned to look at him. "My dad's side of the family bush." Then she frowned. "Stupid, gosh durn... Looks like I'm gonna have to cheat."

"Sil, get me a section number and I'll start the hard copy search," Gray said as he set a hand on her shoulder.

"Err... yeah. Okay, I should be able to do that." Her focus switched to the computer before her. Bypassing the security, she accessed the less than informative 'Top Secret' files on their targets that were in the system. As she pretty much expected, aside from the bare bones out-of-date info they already had, there wasn't much more. Though it did list the current status for both men as "unknown" along with the locations of their complete files in the archives.

Pulling herself back out of the system, she dug out a pen and a scrap of paper and wrote the locations down. Hobbes grabbed it from her hand before Gray had a chance to. "Fawkes, you stay here. Me and Gray will find the hard copies. Kid, see what else you can dig up on Keller." He began to walk away, but stopped when Gray hadn't moved a single step and was apparently trying to glare a hole into the top of Fawkes' head. Darien was doing the two-fingered typist routine on Alyx's laptop to call up the info they did have on Keller for comparison and appeared to be blissfully unaware that he was the focus of the taller agent's ire. "Problem? Fawkes knows how to work with the kid and you know your way around in there."

The glare snapped about to focus on Hobbes, but he didn't even twitch in reaction, just met the anger filled gaze with a totally bland look that decried the fact that he'd noticed the possessive way the larger man's hand still rested on Alyx's shoulder. Her hand came up -- once again wearing the thin gray gloves -- and absentmindedly patted her partner's hand, completely obliviously to his actions. 

"That'll work. I'll handle communications so no one has to be bellowing to be heard. Just tell me who you want to talk to and I'll relay." She poked at a few more keys one handed, but turned when Graywolf still hadn't moved. "Gray?"

"All right." He slipped his hand from beneath hers and moved away. "Well, Agent Hobbes?" he queried, when Bobby didn't moved instantly.

Bobby sighed and shook his head as Gray marched to the doors. "No necking you two. Work."

Alyx snorted and Darien grinned. "I think we can manage to focus for a few minutes, partner."

Alyx kept a very light link on the two men as Gray swiped his access card in the slot and keyed his code before the doors would open and allow them to enter. Clearing the screen she began a more detailed search on Keller with the CIA system. Hopefully, it would turn up something a bit more useful. Being the paranoid agency that the CIA was, she was pretty sure they had a rather complete dossier on Keller, especially since he had once worked for them. 

She turned to look at Darien while waiting for the computer to complete its search. "Sorry about Gray. He's usually not this overprotective of me."

Darien leaned back in the chair and shook his head, not all that surprised at her partner's reaction. He'd known the guy was glaring daggers at him, but had ignored it. What was there he could do? Work was work. Play was play. And, though there was some inevitable overlap, he and Alyx were both perfectly capable of restraining themselves. They, or at least he, was not some teenager with far more raging hormones then brain cells. Alyx wasn't quite as lucky. With the hormones, that is. Not the brain cells, or lack thereof.

"That's his job, to protect you. Somehow, I doubt he thinks I'm good enough for you. Ex-con that I am."

Alyx stuck out her tongue at him. "That was never an issue with me and you know it. Givin' me a dang headache all of ya grumbling mentally at each other 'cause ya think t'others can't hear ya." She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "Y'all keep forgettin' I can." She had slipped into the drawl she'd picked up from years of living in the southeast and that she occasionally fell back into when tired or upset.

"Hey, go back a few screens." He sat up straighter and waved at the screen that was stacking pages of text and images as it downloaded the search data onto her terminal.

"Okay, hold on." Opening her eyes, she paused the search program and flipped back quite a few frames until Darien told her to stop.

He tapped the screen with one finger. "He look familiar?"

"Hot shit. He sure does." On the screen before her was a picture of Keller and target two. Both with their arms wrapped about a leggy blonde. Her mental link to Bobby suddenly awoke and she focused on him. *_What you got, Bobby_?*

*_How about target two and Keller having the same hometown, kid. If that ain't a connection, I'll work with Jones for a month_,* Hobbes told her, with more than enough confidence that he would never have to suffer through that torture again.

*_How about a pic of them together in what looks like High School_?* Darien offered up as well.

*_It appears that target two would be the one we are interested in. Agent Brinkman is believed to have died in a plane crash ten years ago according to this file_,* Gray sent to Alyx, and she relayed it to everyone else. Confirming that their choice of target appeared to be correct.

*_So now what_?* Darien asked of all of them.

*_A field trip, my friends. What isn't here might very well be back home in_ ...* Bobby glanced at the file. *_Lincoln, Nebraska_.* Bobby shut and replaced the file amongst its brethren. *_Time to see how little William Lee grew up to become a traitor_.* 

*_Hold up. Lets check out Keller's file while we're here. Section C, Row 5, Partition 3-B_.* Alyx relayed, curious as to what the man had done while in the CIA. It took a few minutes, but she was patient. She knew how big that room was and how difficult finding things could be.

*_Kid, you sure that's correct_?* Hobbes asked, radiating both confusion and irritation.

*_Let me double check_.* The computer's search had come up with that location, but she double checked by going into the system herself and came up with the same information. *_That's the location listed here, Bobby_.*

*_The file has been removed_,* Gray explained, he even did his best to send a visual image and Alyx took the time to focus on him a bit more to receive it. The location appeared to have been recently rearranged and the various boxes, and files shifted about to fill in the gaps. There looked to be quite a bit of information missing.

*_And I can get everything but his CIA files out of the computer system. Someone is hiding something_,* Alyx told them. *_All right. Lets blow this pop stand and see if we can get a flight to Nebraska sometime before summer_.*

That earned a laugh from everyone, but when she met Darien's eyes she could see the worry there. They had obviously stumbled onto something that wasn't supposed to be found. "Maybe we should leave this alone and join Morris playing overpriced baby-sitter to Keller?"

Alyx shut down the computer before her and then went to work on her laptop. "Maybe. Do you think that's how we should play it?"

Darien shook his head. "No, but I have the feeling we're getting deep into something here." He took the laptop and slipped it back into its bag for her

"Hey, that's why we get paid the big bucks." Alyx got to her feet with a small smile on her lips. Darien didn't respond in kind. "I'd rather find the right answer, the truth, than just assume the little info we've been given was written in stone. If this Lee really does plan on killing Keller there must be a reason and if we know the reason we may be able to defuse the situation without a shot fired or anyone hurt."

"I know," Darien responded as he got to his feet. Bobby and Gray were just exiting the archive room and heading for their location. "But what if whoever is hiding the truth decides we're in the way?"

Alyx nodded slowly, knowing he was right. "We deal with it."

By the time they were back in the Hummer and following the pathway they had previously cleared. Alyx was already on her phone trying to arrange some sort of flying transportation out of the district, but it was obvious by the time they had reached the hotel Darien and Bobby was staying at, that it would be several hours before they would be able to. Even military flights were currently grounded until the worst of the storm had passed. According to forecasters the weather was supposed to break late in the afternoon, which meant flights might be moving again around midnight, if things went well.

When they were dropped off, Alyx told them to pack up and be prepared to check out on short notice. She was going to take the first flight out and warned them it would probably be a military troop or cargo plane heading west, that could drop them off without too many complications to its schedule.

Bobby tried suggesting that they simply wait till the commercial airports reopened and booked seats like normal people, until Gray pointed out that there were stranded passengers all up and down the east coast that would probably get seats before them. Bobby could only sigh and nod in agreement.

They did indeed manage to snag seats on a military cargo plane, along with some Army grunts who were heading the same direction, but the first half of the flight was miserable, the weather borderline, turbulence awful. It was so bad that one of the poor newbie recruits spent most of his time in the head trying to convince his stomach not to crawl up his esophagus. About the time they hit Indiana they passed the front-line of the storm, the skies cleared, and the plane's lovely imitation of the infamous _Vomit Comet_ ended, allowing those who could to fall asleep for the remainder of the flight.

Alyx had been one of those who couldn't. Flying was still an uncomfortable experience for her, and she spent as much of the first half of the flight as she could working on her laptop, the fingers of one had near constantly rubbing the heart pendant Darien had given her like some sort of personal worry stone. 

Darien sat across from her, watching her quietly, occasionally joining in on one of the conversations going on. He'd almost forgotten how she reacted to flying. He knew it wasn't fear, hate, or even a phobia. Just a weird side effect of her gifts that left her feeling uncomfortable and out-of-sorts when in the air. He wondered how she managed all the travel she'd been doing in the last five months. He knew she'd been to Europe at least twice since joining the CIA and was unable to comprehend how she'd endured the flight over the _Pond_ to get there.

Once the plane's flight had smoothed out she closed up the laptop, gave him a wan smile, and told him to sleep. They spent some time chatting mind to mind, before he yawned, realizing that he was damn tired. Even with a catnap after packing, the events of the last few days were catching up with him. Getting old, he admitted a bit ruefully to himself, he couldn't go for 24-plus hours straight just for the hell of it any more. After talking with Alyx a few more minutes, he shifted a bit to get comfortable -- one advantage of this seat arrangement with the back of the seats to the walls of the plane; he had plenty of leg room -- and drifted off into a light doze. Unbeknownst to him, Alyx encouraged into a deeper sleep so that at least one of their group would get the rest needed.

Alyx closed her eyes in an attempt to relax and meditate, but in the end did nothing more than simply endure the rest of the flight.

They ended up at a halfway decent hotel near the airport in Lincoln that didn't care they were checking in a 4:30 in the morning and had the two things Alyx wanted -- high speed internet access and rooms with a connecting door. They walked the halls to their adjoining rooms, the guys chatting amiably about where to find breakfast -- Darien's stomach had begun voicing its need for sustenance at the rental car counter. Alyx dragged herself and her trio of bags along, trying to not rub her forehead to ease the headache. She knew she was going to have to talk to Mikey, but wanted to wait until this mission was over. If things went their way they should have all the pieces they needed by the end of the day and be able to go to back to D. C. with the answers to resolve the situation.

They had chosen to room based on partners so Bobby and Darien took one room while Alyx and Gray the other. The first thing Alyx did was set up her laptop and check her inbox. There were no less than a baker's dozen e-mails from Franklin, ordering her to not follow through on this area of research into the Keller situation, which she both ignored and deleted, just as she had done with all the others before. She'd already blocked Franklin's number from her and Gray's cell phones and his pager -- just another little trick she learned she could pull with her talents. It was strangely amusing to see exactly how many times he'd try to contact her over this. 

Then, out of sheer obstreperousness, she uploaded the data they had found to the database _again_, even though she knew it would be removed. Just like the last three times she'd tried. If nothing else it made her curious as hell as to why they didn't want them to follow the target, this William Lee, and his apparent connection to Keller back home in Lincoln. 

They would find out later in the morning as they hit City and County Record offices, local libraries, and newspapers. She's done some preliminary work via the Internet. It was amazing how much data she had found through from which she had been able to access everything from birth records to information on local high schools, even all the local sex offenders were listed through the site. Since the records they were looking for were years out of date, much of the information was not available. She was able to narrow some things down, like the fact that the high school picture they had stumbled across had to be Lincoln High and not one of the private or parochial schools in the area. It would just take some more legwork on their part -- as well as staring at, hopefully, computer screens, as opposed to crappy microfilm readers.

Once they were reasonably settled and she had finished the work on her computer all three men ordered her to take a nap. They couldn't do much until the buildings opened, probably around 9:00 AM, and as they had all slept on the flight while she hadn't; they could handle things for a while, including more research on the computer.

Alyx grumbled and tried to argue, but they eventually convinced her, though it did take the threat, by Graywolf, of tying her down -- no matter how useless that would really be -- to get her to grudgingly agree. With the computer set up in her and Gray's room Darien steered her to his and saw to it she actually fell asleep before joining the other two men. They were perusing the listings for the nearest all night eateries for a place to get breakfast, which, of course, caused Darien's stomach to wake with a rumble that sounded oddly reminiscent of a plane landing on one of the nearby runways. Even Gray was impressed. With only slight reluctance about leaving Alyx alone, they made their way out into the still dark and cold air. The sky clear, though the stars were washed out do to the ambient lights of the city, to hit the nearest IHOP clone for as much food as they could handle.


	5. Chapter 5

*5*

The room was quiet, not all that surprising considering it was technically after hours, as they poked their way through the files to see what else they might be able to find. Thanks to the High School yearbook they'd gotten a hold of, they now knew Keller, Mercherson -- Lee's real last name -- and Angela Randall, had been best friends since about the second grade and been near inseparable for most of their lives. They'd all been on the school's newspaper — the Advocate -- as investigative reporters. Apparently an early start at the trios' later careers.

According to various newspaper articles on the threesome, they had all continued onto college together at the nearby University of Nebraska. Miss Randall had gone into Journalism while Keller and Lee had studied Law. Lee had specialized in criminal law intending, according to several articles written about him, to go into government work. While Keller had originally planned to go into politics, he had, in the end, instead joined Lee in doing a stint in government service.

When both were accepted to the CIA there were quite a few 'hometown boys make good' articles in the local papers. Miss Randall had done well also, becoming a freelance investigative reporter and making a name for herself. But it had been a small blurb in the local paper that brought them to the county offices and bribing the clerk at the desk to let them stay until he'd finished up his after hours work instead of waiting until the next day. An engagement announcement between Angela Randall and William Mercherson.

Alyx was looking through the computer files, while the guys were wandering the stacks and trying to find any records that might point them in the right direction. They found Lee's birth certificate, which did not do much more than confirm who his parents were. According to other sources his father was a 'corn fed white boy' and his mother pure Chinese; her parents having come to the USA before she was born to escape the communist regime that was quickly stifling many people even then. Lee had simply inherited his mother's looks as opposed to his father's, and it also explained how he had learned to speak Chinese. 

It also told them that _Lee_ was really _Li_ -- his mother's surname -- and that it obviously had become the more commonly spelled American version somewhere along the way. Perhaps simply out of the need to have a working name much like Alyx herself used, though the three who knew that truth were careful to not mention it aloud.

The room they were in was in the process of being refurbished and was a mess. When the local historical society had heard that the county was going to strip the interior of the archive room and give it a more modern and far more practical look, they had protested and eventually won the battle to keep the hundred-plus-year-old building intact. So, instead of ripping out and replacing the deteriorating staircase and railings, they were being painstakingly repaired. They had been warned to use the temporary metal staircase and to not lean against the railings on the upper levels as well as to avoid the areas roped off. The floor itself being a bit shaky in places, the stacks and files moved and squished into other areas to accommodate the repair work as a precaution.

*_Okay, guys. I have an app for a marriage license from Mr. Mercherson. Looks like he came back home to marry the girl_.* She looked over the date and changed her mind. *_On second thought looks like they got married right after college. If the news article on his acceptance to the CIA is correct, he applied for the marriage license just two weeks before_.*

*_Got that, kid_,* Bobby informed her as he looked over the piece of paper in his hand. *_Did the deed just a week before leaving for D.C. Married Miss Randall_.*

*_But I thought she stayed here in Lincoln_?* Darien commented from his corner of the room. He was searching through the birth certificates to see if the happy couple ever had a child or two.

*_She was based here, but traveled as her work required_,* Gray filled in from information he had gathered over the course of the day. He was currently buried over in land records trying to see if they had bought land or a house or anything like that.

*_Well, where is she now_?* Darien asked as he thumbed through the Ms with no luck.

*_Green Hills Memorial Cemetery_,* Bobby answered in dismay several minutes later. He'd had one of his hunches and gone to check it out. *_Died in childbirth according to her death certificate_.*

*_Crap_,* Darien muttered mentally. *_I can't find a record of a kid_.*

*_Try under Randall, Fawkes. She may have used her maiden name_,* Hobbes suggested and tried not to laugh at the sigh that wafted across the link Alyx was connecting them with.

A few minutes later Darien spoke up. *_Got it. A daughter. Though no name is listed. Weird_.*

Gray suddenly sent, *_I think we have company_.* Then the power in the room went out, the red emergency lighting kicking on seconds later. *_Sil_...*

*_On it_.* She opened her shields and searched the room. *_Four of them, three up, one down here with me_.* She snapped her shields shut but kept a tag on each of the unknowns to keep track of them.

*_How the hell did they get in here_?* Darien asked, heading out of the stacks and back towards the stairs only to be met by an entirely unexpected foot into his stomach. He crashed backwards into the shelving with a shout that alerted the others that whoever the newcomers were, they were not friendly.

"Fawkes?" Bobby yelled, heading in the direction of his partner only to be met with his own opponent. The person was dressed head to toe in black and wasted not a single moment in pleasantries before attacking. Bobby was able to defend himself, but not get the upper hand; they were well matched and he found himself not even able to take the few seconds it would require to draw his gun as the unknown forced him deeper into the stacks and further from his partner.

Darien was just trying to keep the black clad wielder of death by foot from pounding him into a bloody pulp. He managed to dodge the two punches that came flying at him, but got nailed by two swift kicks to his ribs that doubled him over. The fist or whatever the hell it was that connected with the back of his head knocked him face first onto the floor and left him dazed and barely able to breathe. "Uncle," he mumbled in hopes of keeping from being hit again and, much to his amazement, it seemed to work. His assailant leaned over him for a second, allowing him to see a pair of dark eyes, before vanishing from his line of sight and leaving him lying there trying to convince his lungs that they could indeed do the job they were designed for.

Alyx bolted from the desk she was at and headed for the temporary metal staircase that had been erected to access the upper level at Darien's shout. She knew he was getting the crap beat out of him, but couldn't do anything until she got closer. Bobby was dealing with his own battle, holding his own, and had no need of her help. And Gray... Gray suddenly appeared as she passed the landing and clattered up the top half of the staircase. He was being forced backwards by one hell of a fighter. Back towards the weakened balustrade of the upper level, and there was no way she was going to get there in time.

Halfway up she stopped and concentrated, and even then was almost too late. The stranger nailed Gray with a flying kick to his chest, knocking him backwards into the rail that was now being held together by Alyx. There he wavered, hanging there until she was forced to divide her attention in order to keep him from flipping backwards over the rail as it hit him in the lower back. His assailant didn't stop and went after him again, apparently intending to force him over and to the floor nearly 20 feet below, but a barked order in Chinese made him pause, allowing Alyx to get involved. She shoved him backward into the nearest stack of files where he slumped to the floor moaning in pain and only semi-conscious.

Gray still wavered for long seconds, fighting gravity, the railing giving off several ominous snaps and pops before finally, with a slight push by Alyx, he regained secure footing, and moved towards his assailant, who was attempting to get up already.

More Chinese was shouted and Alyx suddenly found herself grabbed by the hair and flung backwards onto the metal landing several feet below her, causing the entire staircase to ring like a broken bell. She landed awkwardly, connecting first with her lower back on the right side and then her head. She yelped in pain and forced herself to stay conscious as her assailant leapt down at her, intending to finish her off as far as she knew. She kicked out with her foot and connected with his knee, knocking him to the side, and making the entire staircase rattle with his impact into the railing. She rolled trying to get up, and he lashed out with his foot, catching her in the left shoulder blade, causing her grunt in pain and get a surprise view of the floor, as she slipped under the railing; only stopping as her shoulder slammed into the upright.

"Kid!" Bobby shouted from up above, having finally managed to get away from his attacker in time to see Gray do his amazing acrobatics and just manage to not do an imitation of a rock falling from the sky. The guy going after her changed his mind at Hobbes' shout and jumped over the railing to the floor below, heading for who knew where. There was another set of shouted orders and the trio that was still upstairs, two of whom were now injured, took off; getting out of the building by whatever way they had gotten in. Bobby bolted down the stairs, making Alyx groan; every vibration making her head ache and her side and back scream in pain. "Hell, kid, where ya hurt?"

"Back and head, Bobby," she got out through clenched teeth as the lights came back on, making her blink and her eyes to begin to tear up. Thanks to the blow to her head her control over her sight was off, making her temporarily photosensitive. "Who was that masked man?" she asked with a groan as he helped get her back onto the landing.

Bobby stifled the sudden hysteria laden laughter that tried to escape. "Have no idea. Now roll so's I can get a look at you."

"Hobbes, Fawkes is hurt," Gray called from above. 

Darien staggered out from the stacks where he'd been lying and trying to convince his body that it did indeed want to get up and walk out of there. Certain that it wouldn't hurt nearly as much as it was insisting it would. His body had been right. It did hurt like hell. He had one arm wrapped about his ribs, half afraid his insides were going to spill out onto the floor, and the other on the nearest shelf trying to keep himself upright, which he couldn't quite manage. Gray got to him and helped him over to the top of the stairs and got him seated.

"What the hell was that all about?" Darien grouched, as Gray probed gently at Darien's ribs causing him to hiss in pain.

Bobby was doing the same to Alyx who was trying to fight off the waves of dizziness the whack to her head had inspired. "Have no fricking idea, Fawkes." He lifted Alyx's shirt to examine her back and whistled. "Shit kid, you've got the damn landing imprinted here."

"Tell me something I don't know, Bobby-boy," she muttered at him and then bit her lip to keep from screaming as he pressed his hand gently on the area.

"Hospital for these two," Gray stated only to have "No," shouted by all three of them.

"Can't Gray. One blood test or X-ray and ... and her secret gets out, remember?" Darien reminded him, just barely covering the fact he had no idea if Gray knew about his little talent. "Let's get to the hotel and go from there. If necessary we'll call the Keep and she can fly out and handle things. I'm pretty sure I'm only bruised, how about you Alyx?"

"I'll live... eventually." She closed her eyes and checked herself over as best as she could. Conflicts with using her abilities on herself made this painful and something she rarely did. "Just bruised, I think. Bobby, I hit my head pretty good," she trailed off swallowing hard.

"Gotcha, kid. Just try and stay awake, for now." Shifting her slowly, he helped her to her feet and supported her as they made their slow way down the stairs. Moments later they were joined by Gray and Darien. "Wonder what they were after?" Bobby mused as they made their way out of the building, only stopping long enough to grab their coats and her laptop.

"Not sure. It all happened too fast even for me," Alyx said through clenched teeth, walking hurt, her hip aching with every step. "But they were speaking Chinese."

"Think you can translate?" Gray asked her softly.

She nodded and regretted it immediately and her stomach did a loop de loop and quick roll to the left causing her to clap her free and over her mouth and swallow hard.

"Later," Darien insisted, noting the subtle tint of green her skin tone had taken on. "It can wait 'til later."

***

Alyx stepped out of the bathroom with steam trailing after her. The hot shower had, hopefully, kept the muscles of her back loose enough for Gray to give her a better exam and determine whether or not she would need that trip to the hospital after all. With the towel wrapped about her she pulled on panties and a comfortable pair of sweats while Gray waited patiently. "How's your head, Sil?"

"Better, the Tylenol worked for the most part and the nausea is gone so I don't think I have a concussion this time." She limped across the floor, climbed slowly onto the bed, and sighed as Gray felt over the lump on the side of her head with gentle fingers before pulling her hair back and swiftly braiding it for her. "Uh, how do you want to do this? Lying down would not be good."

Gray thought about it, realizing she was right. "Sit up by the headboard. Pile the pillows in front of you for support."

Alyx did as he suggested, sitting cross-legged and leaning forward to rest her forehead on her arms. The four pillows stuffed in front of her made this almost comfortable, except for the fact that her entire back ached; though the lower right was the worst of it. The simple movement of him loosening the towel from about her caused her to moan in pain.

"Sil, I can give you a painkiller now. This is going to hurt no matter how careful I am." Gray could see the bruises already forming along her left shoulder blade and the huge area that truly did have the grid of the landing imprinted on her lower right side. He was concerned she might have damaged the kidney there. The bruise disappeared below the waistband of her sweats, her limp proving she done a job on her hip as well as her side and lower back. He knew that no matter what he did she was going to be very stiff and sore tomorrow, even if there was no major internal damage.

"After, maybe. I can't help you if I'm drugged and you know it." She turned slightly to look at him. "Are you all right? You got nailed pretty good yourself."

"I'll have my own bruises, but they are minor. Now, hush tsosie-tsidi." With a gentle hand he tipped her head back down and waited until she had relaxed slightly before beginning his examination. He ignored her moans of discomfort and did what was necessary. Luckily she seemed to be no more than bruised. No heat or swelling in her abdomen, everything still nice and soft the way it should be, though he would keep a close eye on her as a precaution. "A-zay-kut tsidi?"

"Please?" she replied at a mumble. She'd put herself into neutral as he poked and prodded her, the pain bad, but not worrying. She'd dealt with worse over the years. Seconds later the scent of the homemade medicine wafted through the room making her sigh. Forget that Icy-hot or Flex-all crap, the stuff Gray made up worked so much better, and smelled wonderful. Even Tiger Balm couldn't match this stuff for efficacy or scent. When he began to knead it into her muscles she sighed. Even going over the bruises didn't bother her nearly as much, knowing that the pain would be eased and the stiffness reduced by the simple act of massaging it into the injured muscles. 

Gray forced himself to not think or feel while he worked on her back. This was not the first time she'd gotten herself badly injured and he'd been the only one to care for her, and therein lay the problem -- he _cared_ for her. He tried his best to keep the wisps of fantasies involving his hands roaming to other areas from becoming more than half formed, burying them back in that room in his mind he tried to keep them locked in. 

Every soft moan of pain made him want to respond with words of comfort, words that he knew would reveal far too much. He made sure to do her entire back including the old scar tissue that lay just below her right shoulder blade and hidden under an elaborate tattoo. He knew she still had to work those muscles to keep them flexible, with all the scar tissue there she had no choice, though after all this time she had full use of the arm and little pain. Still, he had seen her abuse the damaged muscles and need to spend days after healing.

He knew when the medicine finally began to work, Alyx sighed deeply and relaxed even further, the muscles around the swelling loosening up finally and allowing her some relief from the pain. 

"Gray, thank you," she mumbled into the pillow her chin rested on. His hands were making their way down her spine, catching all those tight spots she could never seem to completely stretch out on her own. She was thankful he was as skilled at massage as he was considering how often she seemed to need tight muscles loosened.

"Hush, tsidi. Relax for while. You always try to do everything..." The sound of someone clearing their throat caused Gray to turn his head to see both Darien and Bobby standing in the doorway connecting both rooms.

Bobby glanced from the sight on the bed to Fawkes, fully expecting to seen anger or jealously there, but instead saw only worry. Understandable given the lovely shade of purple the bruise on her back was already turning, and he knew it would only get worse over the next couple of days. It was one of the things the kid had always done in a big way -- bruise. He debated being embarrassed for all of an instant due to her lack of clothing, but decided not to bother as she didn't seem to be the least bit concerned, and it was plain there was no way she could wear anything with comfort right now.

"So this is why I'm smelling apple pie?" Darien limped over to the other bed and settled down slowly, until he was actually seated.

Gray chuckled and turned to look at Fawkes. "First time I've heard that one," he admitted. He held up the jar of dark yellow cream. "Heard of Tiger Balm?"

Hobbes nodded. "Yeah, great stuff. Used good old horse liniment a time or two as well. So what's in the jar?"

"Ancient Navajo secret." Gray grinned and set the jar back down.

Alyx turned her head to look at Darien. "How're you?" she mumbled, not wanting to regain full consciousness quite yet.

"He'll live. Just bruises, but I taped him up just in case," Hobbes answered as he walked over to the table noticing that her pager was blinking. "Kid, you've got some messages."

"Ignore them," she told him flatly.

"You still want the shot, Sil?" Gray asked, as he slid back away from her and over to his bag where they kept the medical supplies they always traveled with.

"Uh, yeah. Better do it, or I'm going to be miserable." Alyx sat up slowly, remembering to hold the towel in place as she did so. Gray handed her a shirt of his that would be huge on her, but would also be loose, easy to get in and out of, and not chafe the abused skin over the bruises. That lower bruise had blood-swollen welts in some sections, the skin having nearly broken open, and it wouldn't take much for it to happen. She slipped her arms slowly into the sleeves and buttoned it up with only a couple of moans escaping past her lips. "I'm gonna need to crash for a bit, couple of hours or so."

"I figured, kid," Hobbes admitted, and tried not flinch as Gray slipped down one side of her sweats to inject the contents of the syringe into her upper left buttock. 

He patted her on the shoulder when he was done. "Try and stretch a bit before you fall asleep or you'll be twice as stiff tomorrow."

She moved slowly until she was off the bed and standing before Darien, but looking over her shoulder at Gray. "Yes, boss." Then she turned to meet Darien's concerned gaze.

Darien just looked at her, swallowed up by her partner's huge dark green shirt, appearing tired, sore, and incredibly young. Darien reached out for her hand and was about to speak, but was interrupted by Hobbes.

"Kid, these are from Franklin." Hobbes had her pager in his hands, and she yanked it from them without even turning to look. Her hand snapped up to catch the pager over her shoulder as it flung itself at her. Her body might be in pain, but her mind was just fine.

"I said ignore it, Hobbes," she snarled as she erased all the messages without even looking at them. "We have more important things to deal with right now." She met Darien's gaze calmly. "Including getting food for Mr. Rumbly here."

"Kid..." Hobbes started, in that tone of voice that meant his patience was wearing thin and his suspicions were aroused.

"We'll handle it," Gray broke in. "You two go... rest for a bit."

Gray may have looked bored, but Bobby caught the discomfort in his stance and tone. "Yeah, you two go lick your wounds and we'll actually work for a bit." The completely unintentional sexual innuendo caused Gray's look to tighten, the muscles of his jaw clenching, his hands to twitch as if wanting become fists, and Bobby found himself regretting his words and tried to cover it before Gray said or did something stupid. "Rest. I have the feeling tomorrow is going to be less fun than today."

Darien snorted and got to his feet. "And what would make you think that, huh? The ninja quartet?" He didn't give either of them a chance to answer and pulled Alyx along with him, the two of them limping their way across to the door that connected the two rooms. 

Alyx paused and turned back to Gray. "Oh, now that my brain is functioning, the one guy was down in the adoption section and he said he'd 'found what he needed'." She shrugged and then groaned as her body told her how stupid that move was -- literally.

"We'll check into it tomorrow, kid." When it looked like she was going to argue Bobby pointed at the door and glowered at her. "I still have my handcuffs."

That earned a laugh from her, but she complied, shutting the door behind her.

Gray let out the breath he'd been holding with a soft growl of irritation.

"You're a damn lucky man, Agent Graywolf," Hobbes asserted quietly to the much larger man, as he watched the various emotions chase their way across his face.

"And how do you figure that, Agent Hobbes?" Gray moved over to the computer and turned it on, using his password to access his files on the machine.

"She trusts you, completely," Hobbes grabbed a chair and sat down beside him at the table, "and you have no idea how difficult or rare that is for her."

Gray just shook his head. Trust was not an issue; they were partners, trust was expected and necessary. 

"You think it's no big deal. Well, my friend, let me tell you something; I know exactly how many people she trusts -- really trusts outside of family -- and I can't count them all on one hand. Hell, most of us are here with her, only Claire is missing." Gray had turned to face Hobbes, disbelief plain on his face. "Do you really think she'd allow just anyone to be that... intimate with her?" Hobbes asked, referring to the scene he and Fawkes had walked in on.

"She is a very... tactile person," Gray stated the obvious.

"Yes, but she is also very cautious. She don't wear those gloves for nothing." Hobbes shook his head not sure how to explain this quirk about her. "When she trusts she does it completely, no holds barred. She trusts you," then his voice dropped to a near whisper, "even knowing you care about her as more than a partner."

Gray's look darkened and he turned in his seat to face Hobbes directly.

"Care to try and deny it? Fawkes spotted it almost immediately and he tends to let things like that go flying right over his head," Hobbes pointed out in a cool voice.

Gray growled in frustration. "Yet he does nothing, why?"

"What is there to do? You're her partner and, no offense to you, but there's little chance of you separating the two of them." Hobbes figured the truth would serve better and, hopefully, ease the tension between the two men. It seemed to backfire, however.

"We'll see about that." Gray turned back to the computer screen and began typing quickly to avoid any more of this conversation. He didn't want to hear that she was ... attached to this Fawkes, this ex-con, this snake oil salesman that had to be playing her for her to care the least little bit for him, beyond, perhaps, a grudging friendship that had formed out of their previous partnership.

Hobbes sighed and dropped the subject for now, there was a battle brewing between Fawkes and Graywolf and he couldn't see a way to head it off right at the moment. He just didn't want to see the kid get even more stressed out than she already was. "So, what do you think they were after?"

Gray contained the sigh of relief that Hobbes was changing the topic since they had did have work to do. "Good question." He had accessed the county records only to be dumped to a 'temporarily out of service' screen. At a guess they had taken the system off-line thanks to the little incident earlier. "Damn it."

"Huh. Well, we could always try to break in later after the cops have left." They had managed to avoid the worst of the mess by flashing badges and claiming injuries -- which was true -- though they had promised to give statements tomorrow and left a contact number if their information was needed sooner. Apparently the clerk had been knocked out, though not seriously injured, when the bad guys had broken in. "Wonder if Lee is involved, somehow?" Hobbes mused aloud.

"Sil did say they were speaking Chinese, but if it was Lee with friends, what would he be looking for?" Gray closed the window and accessed his mailbox at the CIA and was shocked to find over a dozen e-mails from Franklin in his box. They all had the same theme, but the tone deteriorated the more recent the e-mail. All wanted know where he and Agent Silver were and direct orders to not follow up on the Lee lead they had found.

Hobbes saw this. "Oh, crap."

Gray actually chuckled. "That's an understatement. Let us go pick up dinner and I'll make a phone call or two to find out what is going on."

"Good plan." Hobbes agreed, getting to his feet and moving to get his coat from the other room. He found Fawkes staring at the TV with Alyx curled up against him looking sleepy. "We're gonna get dinner, any prefs?"

"Italian?" Darien suggested and Alyx grunted in agreement. "With salads, someone wants rabbit food." His fingers were almost unconsciously tracing random figures on her shoulder.

"Fine. We'll be back in an hour or so. Sil, be careful, you hit your head a good one," Gray reminded her, the painkiller would be making her quite tired by now, forcing her into the rest that she needed anyway.

*_Nag_,* she grumbled mentally at him. *_Food, shush-yahz_.* 

"Yes, tsidi." Gray grinned and closed the door once Hobbes had passed through with his coat now in hand.

Darien turned to Alyx. "Seedy?"

Alyx chuckled then groaned as her back complained. "Tsidi," she said slowly so that he could hear the proper inflection. "It's Navajo for bird. Gray's been teaching me the language. Tsosie-li-chi-tsidi is his nickname for me. Little red bird."

"Nickname?" Darien was curious. She called him Dare, but except for the occasional 'sweets' or the like he didn't really have a pet name for her. 

She picked up on what he was thinking and moved slowly, mindful of her back, until she was facing him directly. "You don't need a pet or nick name for me. You have my real name, remember?" She kissed him lightly. "You have _me_ for as long as you want me."

His hands came up to cup her face. "Ah 'Chele..."

She smiled. "See, you get all of me." She shifted slightly as her lower back chose that moment to spasm, causing her to wince. "All of pain filled me."

Darien dropped his forehead to rest on hers. "I'll take it - you - healthy, hurt, happy, sad," He kissed her for a long moment, but pulled away when his stomach rumbled. "Damn, you still smell like apple pie."

Alyx ignored the pain and laughed. "And you are always hungry... for one thing or another."

"Definitely, but I think we're both in no shape to ease the hunger that doesn't require food." He wasn't lying. He was one large ache from collarbone to hip thanks to his round as a kicking bag earlier and he knew she was in worse shape even with painkillers helping her.

"Sadly enough that is quite true, but I don't mind. If I have to suffer at least I have good company." She lay her head back down on his chest and adjusted her position until she had achieved the most comfort her injuries would allow. "What we watching?"

"Not much." He flipped through the limited channels on the hotel TV, finally settling on whatever local station was showing _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ this week. "Vampires, demons, slayers, witches ... and yet no one wants to believe in Chrysalis and its never-never land ideals."

"Shoot Dare, it's a TV show. They can turn it off at the end and know it's not real, know that the boogeymen revealed are just imaginary. Hyped up CGI and SFX to please the hordes of mindless teens who like angst to go with their thrice distilled violence and mayhem. But to learn that reality is just as strange and fantastic, that the boogeyman is real? It's like believing in psychic powers and invisible men -- better left to Hollywood." Alyx's voice was tight by the time she finished.

"Hey, no need to get upset." Darien switched off the TV, not quite sure why she was suddenly reacting this way.

"Sorry, blame the meds." She sniffled a bit, refusing to let the sudden urge to cry happen. "Some days it's just a lot to deal with, not being ... normal."

Darien knew exactly what she meant. "But we do, and we will -- deal with it, that is. It's who we are and one day -- I hope anyway -- we won't be seen as different and won't have to hide from all but a select group. Why do you think I like hanging with your family, Michele? They don't care I'm the invisible man, they like _me_." His ill formed, completely insane idea of several days before, jumped to the forefront of his mind, but he shoved it away for now. This was not the time or the place. 

"Yes, they do and not just 'cause I raised them that way. They like _you_." She snuggled up a bit closer, allowing him to draw her away from that edge, from being upset over something she could do nothing about anyway. "Now, put _Buffy_ back on. I've missed quite a few eps recently."

"You sure?" When the TV blinked on by itself showing the infamous slayer battling some unnamed demon, he interpreted that as a yes. Wrapping his arm about her, cautious of her injuries, they settled in to enjoy an hour of fantasy that didn't involve their reality.


	6. Chapter 6

*6*

The guy behind the counter chatted amiably as he packed the various items that Hobbes had ordered into the bottom half of a cardboard box for easier transport. As soon as the order had been placed at the mom and pop Italian restaurant the clerk at the hotel had recommended, Gray had started making his calls. Within minutes he handed Hobbes a fist full of money, to cover the cost of the food, and stepped outside into the chilly evening air. Even Hobbes had been able to hear the shouting coming from whoever was at the other end of the phone line. 

As Hobbes waited for the order he watched Gray through the windows, and quickly learned he was not a pacer. Instead he was the type to go dead still, his look a complete blank, as he listened to the person on the other end. When he was on hold he would pace, but the moment someone came back on the line he stopped, one time with a foot off the ground for nearly two minutes before he realized it. Whatever Graywolf was being told did not bode well for their little field trip.

Once the bill was paid, Hobbes made his way outside, the overstuffed box securely in his arms, and caught Gray's attention, who nodded, pointed at the phone against his ear, and held up two fingers. Since Hobbes lacked the keys to start the vehicle he, with a little dexterous creativity, got the rear door open, placed the food securely on the floor, and then made himself comfortable in the passenger's seat, to wait. After another minute of observation Hobbes decided that Gray was confused and more than a little irritated, like maybe he wasn't getting the answers he wanted about exactly why he was getting his ass chewed off. Gray snapped the phone shut and stood for a moment staring off onto the darkness before he finally stalked over to the rental vehicle, climbed into the driver's seat, and, after a moment to search his pockets for the keys, started it up with a roar.

Once on the road Hobbes cleared his throat. "Problem?"

"I'm not sure. I think I need to talk to Sil first." Gray's hands tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white with the force of his grip. His next words surprised Hobbes. "Was she known for blatantly disregarding direct orders when she worked at the Agency?"

Hobbes thought about it for a moment and answered carefully. "If the situation justified it, yes." He turned to observe Gray's profile, the muscles of the man's jaw clenching. "Why?"

"She was ordered, in no uncertain terms, to _not _follow this lead, by Agent Franklin himself. I'm trying to understand why she ignored those orders," Gray explained, his fingers finally relaxing slightly and making him realize they ached due to his overly energetic grip. He forced himself to release the steering wheel and wiggle them a bit to return the blood flow to normal.

"Well, I can guarantee she has her reasons, even if no one else understands them," Hobbes commented dryly. "I'm guessing they refused to explain why? Some need-to-know crap?"

Gray found himself nodding in response. "I'll admit to not being the most... stringent at following the rules. In this line of work by-the-book can sometimes get you killed." He glanced over at Hobbes before refocusing on the road. "As I'm sure you know."

Hobbes snorted. "Heh, that's putting it mildly. Then you add in agents with... unique talents and the rule book often becomes nothing more than an annoyance." He was careful to skirt the issue of his partner's particular talents, figuring Gray would assume Hobbes meant Darien's former occupation as a thief. "You adjust, you learn what works, and you get the job done." Hobbes shook his head. "I'll admit I had some serious issues with the kid when she first showed, but can you honestly tell me you didn't have visions of _Big Brother_ as soon as you realized she really did know what you were thinking and feeling?" 

"Can't deny that," Gray admitted more than a bit ruefully, "but I also grew up with the traditions of my people, and in our culture she would have been revered as a shaman and seer. Honored above all others for who she was and what she could do."

"And part of you does," Hobbes noted, nodding as he realized this was at least part of the weird vibe he was getting from the larger man. Part of Graywolf was simply in awe of Alyx because of his upbringing -- nothing actually wrong with that, but it was obviously having an effect on their partnership. "Hard to reconcile with the woman when she's in a bad mood, ain't it."

Much to Hobbes' amazement Graywolf erupted in laughter.

"You have no idea, Agent Hobbes." He got a hold of himself after a moment, thinking. "Then again you do, don't you. You've known her longer than me, how do you reconcile the two sides of her?"

"That's just it, I don't." When Gray's face showed confusion Hobbes continued, "She's who she is, Gray, with or without her little talents." He smiled to himself, remembering how she had amazed him when she'd been nothing more than a mom dealing with life. "She and Fawkes... You'd never guess it to look at them, but, in their own way, they are two of the best agents I've ever worked with, and I'm damn lucky to have them as friends as well."

At the mention of Darien, Gray sobered. For all that he understood about Alyx, Gray still couldn't comprehend her liking of the man, and having him here was like having a rock stuck in his shoe; a constant irritant that he was forced to endure. It was probably only Darien's easygoing nature and apparent total lack of jealousy where Gray was concerned that had allowed this to work at all.

He was saved from making any comment by their arrival back at the hotel and the simple task of parking and delivering the food to the room.

Alyx had been drowsing through the sit-com Darien had switched to once _Buffy_ had ended; she had never found an interest in that particular show and the fact that this was a syndicated rerun made it even less interesting. Darien had kept up a running patter of snarky comments about the guest actor and his character's name of _Fun Bobby,_ which Alyx just let flow by her, not even bothering to crack open an eye and get a look at the man is question.

Her back was currently doing its version of a banked fire; a deep, dull, throbbing ache that the slightest movement caused to flare up, sending ghost sparks shooting through to other areas of her back. An all too familiar pain, though it had now been several years since she'd been forced to endure anything like that. She did her best to keep those memories at bay, to remind herself that that part of her life was over and that this situation, this pain was from another source entirely. The man may have been dead, but what he had done to her still lay just below the surface, waiting for any opportunity to burst forth and remind her of who and what she used to be. It was sometimes hard to believe that she had changed so very much, that she had found the strength to do more than just bow down and endure. 

It was Darien that made it so much easier to push aside those memories, his presence seeping into her mind and heart, to remind her how much she had gained in the last few years. The painkiller was working quite well, doing its part to relieve the worse of the discomfort and allowing her to relax. She sighed softly, enjoying just being here with Darien doing something that was so mundane, something any other _normal_ couple might do on a given evening. 

She was debating forgoing dinner and just drifting off into sleep when familiar minds came within range. Bobby and Graywolf were back with the take out. Bobby was ... Bobby, his presence oddly comforting even with the vague hint of unease that drifted through his psyche, but Gray ... Gray was pissed off on just about every level and that brought her back to consciousness quickly. Shrugging out of Darien's gentle hold, she shifted and attempted to stand up. She failed miserably on her first try, but definitely got Darien's attention with her groan of pain. 

"Hey, what's up?" Darien set a hand on her shoulder as she sat back on the bed with a grunt.

"Not me, that's for sure," she grumbled, not caring in the least for how stiff she already was. At this rate she'd be going nowhere fast come tomorrow without major drug assistance. She closed her eyes and took a moment to tell her body that the pain was nothing of importance, that even this couldn't stop her unless she allowed it to. She opened her eyes and rolled her shoulders to ease the tightness there before pushing herself to her feet in one smooth motion. It didn't hurt any less, but this time she didn't allow it to affect her. "They're back and Gray..." She tipped her head to the side as heard the door in the next room open.

Moving a bit stiffly she went to the adjoining door and swung it open as Bobby and Gray walked into the other room. She stood just inside the room, waiting patiently until the food had been set on the table and they shed their winter wear. Bobby calmly began unpacking the food as Gray turned to face Alyx with a frown on his face. "You should not be up."

"I'm fine," Alyx assured him as she moved a couple steps closer. She could feel Gray fighting the sudden urge to back away and it bothered her. "What's wrong, Gray?"

Mentally berating himself for believing she would not notice his mood, he sighed. "Sil, what were you thinking?"

"About?" When Gray's face darkened at her apparent flippant answer she added, "I can tell you're upset about something, as well as at me..."

He flinched at her words, his and Hobbes' _Big Brother_ discussion coming back to the fore. "Sil..." He stopped and took a deep breath to calm himself. "I've spoken to Franklin, among others, he's rather angry at you." His own irritation increased as her look went perfectly blank at his words, giving him no hint as to what she was thinking. It wasn't fair that she could read him like a book, yet she was perfectly capable of telling him nothing. "Damn it, Sil, why the hell did you ignore his orders? I do not need my ass handed to me on a platter."

"Gray, do you trust me?" Alyx's voice was quiet and cut straight to the heart of the matter.

Gray looked down at her for a long moment, then lifted his head to meet the brown eyes of the man standing several steps behind her. "I don't know anymore."

"Yes, I know Franklin himself ordered me to not follow this lead, but I have my reasons..." She could easily tell Gray was not believing her, his mind firmly set on distrusting her. "Gray, what does Darien have to do with any of this?"

Darien surged forward to stand directly behind Alyx. "Me? You're doubting her because of me?"

"I know who he is, Sil. More, I know what he is." He met her eyes, surprised at the emotion in them, that she truly appeared to be shocked and hurt at his reaction. "He's conning you, Sil. Badge or not, he's playing a little game and you're the prize."

Darien reacted to that with near rage and shouted, "You have no right to say that, not to her and not to me! You have no idea who I am..."

"I have every right!" Gray roared right back. "She is my responsibility and _you_," he spat out the word, "are nothing but a thief and a con that the Agency was desperate enough to hire."

Hobbes watched all this with growing dismay, debating whether or not to intervene, or let it play out a bit more. To let the two men blow off some of the excess steam that had been building since they'd met. He glanced at Alyx; actually somewhat surprised she hadn't done something to stop the two of them, and swallowed hard. She'd gone dead pale, standing there nearly trapped between the far larger men, her hands curling and opening almost convulsively. She was muttering something, but it was too soft for him to catch. That's when Hobbes noticed that the lighting in the room was getting brighter, the bulbs flaring with a white light that swiftly increased and tinted over towards blue.

Gray and Fawkes continued shouting at each other, completely oblivious to what was going on around them.

As Hobbes looked on, Alyx suddenly flinched and the Quicksilver flowed across her until, just seconds later, she was gone from sight. The nearby bureau shifted and Hobbes heard a yelp of pain. Whatever, or whoever, had hit it with enough force to cause the items atop it to wobble for several seconds before settling back into their accustomed places. He figured the kid must have bumped the thing, and hard at that. He had no idea where she was, but since no doors opened he figured she was still somewhere in the room, especially since the lights were still flaring, several now shooting out sparks as the kid continued to dump more and more power into them.

Coming to a decision, and getting more than a bit pissed off himself, he marched over to the still arguing men, grabbed each one by an elbow -- making sure to nail the nerve -- and dragged them through his and Fawkes' room.

"Hobbes, what the," Darien tried to ask, not wanting to shout at the pain shooting up his arm at Hobbes' grip.

"Shaddup!" Hobbes barked.

"Agent Hobbes," Graywolf attempted. His opinion of the smaller man's hold much the same as Darien's. It hurt like the blue blazes.

"Shaddup!" Hobbes repeated, louder. Going to the main door of the room he released the two men, yanked it open, and shoved them out into the hallway by brute force. "I don't know what the hell your problem is and I don't care, but get it out of your systems and deal with it. Go outside and beat the crap out of each other or something. Don't frickin' come back until you've settled this." And with that he slammed the door shut and engaged all the locks, leaving the two stunned men alone and wondering just what the hell had happened.

They stared at the still closed door for a few more seconds before turning to glare at each other. For some reason, though both were still angry, the urge to pound each other into artistic smears on the nearby walls had melted away. Darien seriously debated going for a very long walk, as far from the man next to him as humanly possible, at least till things had cooled off inside and Hobbes let him back in, so he could find out exactly why they'd been thrown out.

"He's not going to let us back in, is he?" Gray asked of Darien while just barely managing to keep the irritation out of his voice.

"Not a chance," Darien told him. "Beer?"

Gray wasn't sure what to do. He certainly didn't want to spend any time with ... with this person, but realized that something had to be done before he interfered with Gray's partnership with Sil any further. "Sure, though something stronger might be better."

Darien snorted. "She get you started on tequila, too?" They began walking slowly down the hallway, headed for the lounge/restaurant combo that was attached to the hotel. 

The response was a wry chuckle. "I don't know how she drinks that stuff, but she loves it. Watching her drinking mescal is worse, though."

As one the two men shuddered and said, "The worm." The laughter, strained as it was, did help to ease the tension between them.

The silence that fell for the remainder of the walk was heavy with dark emotions, as both men tried to restrain the animosity the roiled just beneath the surface. It wasn't until they were both seated at the bar, working on their second drinks that conversation -- if it could be called that -- resumed.

"She's too young for you." The words were soft, but the anger and frustration was still evident.

Darien snickered. "Right, she's got..." He stopped, remembering that Gray only knew Alyx, who, according to those dummied up records, would be all of 24 or so. "Crap. Look, she's a hell of a lot older than her _age_ and you damn well know it. 'Sides she'd be too young for you as well, if you wanna take that road."

The sound of grinding teeth was audible even to the bartender who stood several feet away working on another order. Once complete, he poured two more scotches, though doubles this time, and slid them in front of the two agents, figuring they were going to need them. Gray gave the bartender a small nod of acknowledgment and then focused on the drinks before him. Lifting the older one, he tossed it back and ignored the burning sensation as he tried to keep from throttling the man beside him. Hobbes had been right, Fawkes _had_ noticed his... his... attraction for Sil and it was thoroughly annoying. 

"Jealous?" Gray rumbled out, his voice rough from the scotch that he'd just downed.

Darien shrugged. "No reason to be. You wouldn't still be partners if Alyx was worried about it." He gathered his thoughts, wanting to make sure he said this correctly. Antagonizing Graywolf would probably get his ass beaten into a pulp by the larger and more heavily built man and not help the situation between Gray and Alyx in the least. "And, in truth, I'd rather she was being protected by someone who actually cares about _her_ and not just her talents." He took a sip of his drink and eyed Gray over the top of the glass, waiting for the reaction.

Gray went blank, totally at a loss to understand how Fawkes was handling this so very easily. "So you don't care?"

Darien shook his head. "Oh, I care. In fact, being the total idiot that I am, I asked her if she was sleeping with you." He finished off the drink in his hand, set the glass down gently, and picked up the next one; half of which he downed as well.

Gray almost looked offended. "I wouldn't..."

"But you want to." Darien dropped his head and chuckled softly. "I know how it is. All it took was meeting her eyes the first time and I was gone. Took over six months for her to figure out her side of it." He sighed as he remembered those days. The total confusion she had made of his already screwed up life. The way... the idiotic, stupid way, he had handled things. "I'm damn lucky she even speaks to me considering some of the things that happened between us, but I thank god every single day that she does."

He finished off the scotch, got to his feet, dug in his pocket for cash to cover the drinks, which he tossed on the smooth wood of the bar, and turned to face Graywolf. "Yeah, I was a thief and a con-man, pretty good one too, but do you really think I could con her? With her talents?" He took a step back. "I don't think it's me you're really angry at, is it? Talk to her. It's the only way for both of you to work this out." With that he turned and walked smoothly out of the bar. His steps careful and precise; it had been quite a while since he'd drunk that much -- last time was right after rejoining the Agency and the post-'officialed' binge that he, Claire, and Bobby had indulged in. The lack of food in his system also added to the effect. Noting the pool area, he stepped outside clad only in a t-shirt and slacks, hoping the cold night air would clear his mind a bit before he headed back to the room.

Graywolf watched Fawkes walk away, Gray's mind trying to wrap about the words Fawkes had left with him to mull. Could it be he really was angry with Sil? Jealous that she had chosen to stay with Fawkes in a long-distance relationship instead of considering one with himself -- rules or no? Her relationship with Fawkes made it obvious she didn't care about the office romance rule, but... Gray wasn't sure where he was trying to go with this line of, now verging on drunken, thought. Yes, he liked her, maybe even loved her, definitely wanted to bed her, but did he want to risk ruining their partnership, their building friendship, for a romp that may or may not work out? And that -- successful or not -- would color their working relationship no matter what they did? With a groan of dismay Gray realized Fawkes was right; he needed to talk to Sil. Finishing off the drink in his hand he signaled for another.

***

After slamming the door shut and locking it, Bobby leaned back against the smooth wood veneer and took a deep breath. He damn well knew if he was upset the kid would pick it up and that would make the situation even worse. Through the open connecting door he could still see the excessively bright light, almost like that of a high-powered spot shining directly into the room. The kid had to be doing it; things getting a little weird when she was upset was nothing new, but never before had he seen anything on this scale, even way back when, before she'd gotten full control. This must be that new problem that had been cropping up since getting her powers turned back on, that bleed-through she'd mentioned a couple days ago.

Deciding he had settled his mind enough, he made his way into the room and tried to spot her, without success. He was going to have to learn to pack thermal glasses just on principle and to hell with Eberts and his precious budget and cost overruns. "Kid, you need to drop the see-through routine so's I can help ya."

There was a whimper followed by the distinctive sound of Quicksilver falling to the floor, revealing Alyx huddled in the corner between the far end of the bureau and the closet wall near the door. Bobby rushed to her and crouched down, not quite sure what, if anything, he could do to help. "Kid, get your shields up."

That brought on a bout of near hysterical laughter and caused two of the lights to flare brighter and explode in a shower of sparks. She was huddled in on herself, her head on her knees and her arms wrapped tightly about them. He could hear what she was practically chanting, now that he was close enough, just the word "Pattern," over and over again. A word that he knew _used_ to trigger an automatic control sequence in her and that, he also knew, no longer worked. But to her it had, apparently, become a kind of security blanket or reminder. Like the worry stones few knew he carried about in his pocket. He didn't use them often, but they were always there just in case.

Guessing she was pretty much out of it as she fought with herself, with her abilities, he tried a different tactic. "Michele, it's all right. You're safe. Bobby Hobbes won't let no one hurt ya, including those two mooks." He tightly controlled his own emotions ? as difficult as that was for him -- and set a hand on one bare arm. He'd half expected to get one of her zaps, so he was surprised when he felt nothing but a mild tingle, like what sometimes happened when she needed to read him using physical contact. 

"C'mon, Michele, talk to me." He moved his hand slowly and deliberately until he was cupping her chin and, with only a hint of resistance, he got her to lift her head. He made sure not to react at the sight that greeted him. She was very pale, with tears rolling down her cheeks, and her eyes were doing that weird glowing thing they sometimes did when she had too much power to deal with. "Kid..."

She gulped in air and nodded, her lips still mouthing that single word over and over again. It took several painfully long minutes, filled with softly spoken words by Bobby, before the light in both her eyes and those around the room began to dim. A couple more bulbs exploded as she released her hold on them, leaving only the light coming out of the bathroom remaining for them too see by.

"Shit," she muttered as the power finally let her go. She ached both inside and out now, the excess power having all but burned its way through her. The feeling was mild version of what happened after high doses of that damn neurotransmitter enhancement drug Heilburg had gotten her hooked on. The same drug, though a far less successful version, that he'd tried to use as a control ages ago at the lab she'd been kept at, the one she'd destroyed. "Sorry, Bobby."

"S'okay, kid. The testosterone twins have been banished for the time being." It was good bet the argument between the two men had set her off, but he was hoping the comment would earn at least a hint of a smile. He was disappointed; instead she winced in pain. "Talk to me, kid, what's with the light show?"

"I... I wish I bloody knew. It's not something I can control and it has nothing to do with my shielding. It... it just happens." She shook her head not sure how to explain it to him, still not sure she understood it herself. "It's like how I always know where people or electronics are, only magnified a thousand times. And usually as output instead of input," she added ruefully.

"But are you okay?" That was the important thing, the only thing.

She shook her head again. "I think I bleeding all over the carpet."

Her tone of voice was so bland, so dry that it took a moment for her words to sink in. "Crap," Bobby muttered, which did earn a smile from her. "All right nice and easy." He gripped her forearms and assisted her as she very slowly got to her feet. Once she was as upright as she could be, he pointed to the nearest bed, and helped her limp over to it. The blood on the neutral tan rug was all the confirmation he needed that she had indeed really hurt herself. "Whacked the bureau a good one, did ya?"

She lowered herself onto the bed and carefully lay down on her left side. "Yeah, it ain't a bruise no more."

Bobby lifted up the shirt to get a look at her back and hissed. "Don't move, kid." Leaving her side, he grabbed a pile of towels from the bathroom and set one over the sluggishly bleeding wound. She'd hit the edge of the bureau hard enough to break open several of the welts that had formed from her encounter with the metal landing earlier. Moving to the offending piece of furniture, he grabbed the ice bucket and took off. He ran down the hallway to the room where the ice machine shared space with several candy and soda machines. He was back within minutes and packed the ice into another couple of towels, which he then placed them over the, now, blood soaked one. He'd grab the first aid kit and patch her up once he got the bleeding slowed and the worst of the swelling staved off. 

Grabbing a couple of pillows he stuffed them behind her back for support and smiled when she sighed in relief and relaxed back against them.

"Thanks, Bobby." Her voice was rough with pain as he came back around and sat in front of her.

"What's the deal, kid? Why are we here?" He was hoping she'd be willing to talk to him, would know that, between them, it was not a trust issue.

Alyx closed her eyes for a moment, trying to convince her body to leave her alone for a few minutes. "Keep it to yourself. Gray is not supposed to know and Darien doesn't need to. Okay?"

"Tell me first," Hobbes stated in a tone that meant there was no way out of this one.

She nodded. "I _am_ following orders. Cavanaugh's orders." She shifted slightly and groaned at the pain that shot through her back. The painkiller from earlier had given up the ghost once she'd hit the bruise, and she wasn't going to last much longer; her body all but demanding she rest and actually spend some time recovering. "She called me in for a private meeting before the one over at the Pentagon. She's suspected something was fishy with Keller for a while now, but had nothing to go on. Then this _assassination_ threat suddenly appeared, the supposed sources all Keller's, and her attempts to confirm all led to dead ends or severe cases of the run-around."

"So she made sure you got assigned to the CIA contingent, and Graywolf goes along as your partner... and protector," Hobbes filled in the obvious gap. "But why?"

"Cavanaugh don't like being stonewalled." Alyx smirked. "You think Monroe is a ballbuster? Cavanaugh was one of her trainers." The look on Bobby's face was priceless. "I'm guessing you know Lauren Cavanaugh's rep?"

"Yeah, kid. I know her rep. Dragon Lady was the politest of the nicks she earned when I was with The Company." He shook his head, surprised that he hadn't figured out that Cavanaugh and Monroe had crossed paths during her career. Now that it had been pointed out he could see it, could point to the incidents in his dealings with Monroe that were pure Dragon Lady. "Damn."

"If you tell Alex you found out from me, I'll be forced to hurt you, Bobby Hobbes." She gave him a weak punch in the forearm. Then her mood sobered. "Cavanaugh told me to follow the leads I found, no matter what. That her orders superseded all others, including Franklin's." She caught his look of disbelief even without the emotional wave coming off him. "Bobby, you know me. I don't do anything without a damn good reason."

"I know," he assured her. "What does Cavanaugh think Keller is mixed up in?" Bobby was trying to find the connection but didn't have nearly enough information.

"Not sure, but she knows it goes back to his time at the CIA." Alyx shrugged. "I think she's right. Look at the way we've been blocked on intel. Shit, Franklin was practically foaming at the mouth when he called me after I uploaded the Lee data the first time. What I can't figure out is why he never called you or Dare directly. I only blocked mine and Gray's numbers, not yours."

"Probably thinks we're a non-factor. _Agency_ personnel and all." He ran a hand across the top of his head. "Huh, that might work to our advantage. All right, kid, I'll back you on this," When it was obvious she was going to remind him of the need-to-know portion of tonight's chat he said, "without spilling the beans, though you might want to consider letting Gray in on this. It would help with the trust issue he seems to have."

"All the more reason not to. I know I don't follow the rules often, but this time it's justified -- for now. If Gray can't trust me, trying to buy him with the info won't help matters."

Hobbes grunted in agreement. "True." He lifted up the towels to check on her injury. "You ready for me to patch this?"

"Do your worst, Hobbesy. What's your line? 'Pain is candy for the focused mind?' Well, this mind is exhausted, so try not to freak if I pass out." Alyx patted him on the arm, to reassure him she was doing okay. "Bobby..."

"Friends, kid. Anything you need, you know that." He gave her hand a quick squeeze and moved off to fetch the necessary items. This was not going to be enjoyable for either of them.

***

Darien knocked, rather tentatively, on the door to the room he was sharing with Hobbes and was actually surprised when the sound of the locks being disengaged was heard mere moments later. 

Hobbes swung the door wide and motioned for Darien to enter with a finger to his lips. "Keep it down, the kid's trying to sleep." He shut the door and followed Darien deeper into the room. He could smell the scotch on his partner, and since he wasn't bleeding or limping any worse than earlier, figured the two men had gone to have a few drinks instead of pounding some sense into each other. Though come morning, with its hangover, his partner might be wishing he'd been in a fight instead of going on a macho male-bonding binge. "You seen Graywolf?"

Darien shook his head. "Not since I left the bar. Why?" His words were only slightly slurred considering the... he paused to try to count them up in his mind ... four scotches he'd downed.

Hobbes just waved a hand at him. "Go on in, just be careful, she banged herself up a bit and I had to give her another dose of painkiller. You will _not_ spend the night with her."

"Yes, dad," Darien sniped, and rolled his eyes. He'd never had a chaperone when dating back in high school, having one now was oddly amusing. Though if he were sober he might find it more than a bit irritating. He paused in the doorway of the two rooms, Hobbes' statement finally registering. "Wait, she got hurt? How? When?"

"Later, Fawkes. Hell, tomorrow. I'm tired, she's wiped, and you're borderline shit-faced. Say your good nights and get your scrawny ass back in here," Hobbes ordered in a firm tone. Injured Fawkes was bad. Hung over Fawkes was worse. He didn't even want to contemplate what fun the combination was going to bring them on the morrow.

Darien blinked at Hobbes then shuffled into Alyx's room, noting the decidedly antiseptic smell that still lingered in the air. There was also the hint of... ozone? There was a light turned on low in the corner so he was easily able to see her, even if his focus was a little iffy at the moment. She was lying atop the comforter, a light blanket covering her legs. She had several pillows stuffed behind her, to prevent her from rolling onto her back during the night, she'd also changed at some point, no longer being swallowed up by her partner's huge shirt, but instead was wearing a dark t-shirt he didn't immediately recognize. Sitting on the edge of the bed he ran light fingers across her pale face.

After a minute her eyes fluttered open. "Hey," she said in a gravely voice.

Her eyes were dull as pewter, which told him exactly how much pain she was in. "Hey. Sorry about earlier. I just don't want Gray not trusting you because... because of me."

She reached up slowly and grasped his hand with her own, doing her best to not transmit her feelings to him. Not that it mattered, she realized, based on how his head was still swimming with the alcohol he had consumed. "S'alright. He and I will work it out, somehow. Don't blame yourself." Her eyes closed for a second as another wave of pain stole her attention away.

"Damn," Darien whispered as he caught a hint of her discomfort. "Rest. We'll deal with this tomorrow." He lifted her hand and kissed her fingers. "Want me to stay for a few?"

"Please." She sighed as he gave her hand a squeeze and shifted a bit to lie beside her.

"Sleep, you. Even you need sleep on occasion." He kissed her on the forehead and held her gently until her breathing evened out and her body relaxed as she fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

*7*

The tableau that greeted Hobbes as he opened the connecting door was an unusual one. Graywolf was standing at the foot of the kid's bed in jeans and a black t-shirt, his hair in one long braid down his back, hands planted firmly on his hips, and glaring down at the redheaded spitfire who had a look of total frustration and disbelief on her face. The, not quite shouted, words had been easily heard in the next room, if not understandable, at least not without leaning one's ear against the door. Which, of course, Bobby Hobbes would never do.

Gray was looking amazingly healthy considering his rather pickled state when he'd returned to the room about two hours after Hobbes had put Fawkes to bed, to sleep off his share of the 100 proof hootch they'd imbibed in. If Gray had a hangover, he was hiding it far better than Hobbes' idiot partner, who had spent 20 minutes whining and swearing on his brother's grave that he'd never drink that much again, while taking an early morning trip on the porcelain bus. Not the most pleasant of sound effects to wake up to Hobbes noted again.

That very same idiot partner was currently moaning and groaning his way through a shower, in a vain attempt to turn himself back into a human being, instead of the pitiful wretch he currently was. Hobbes had left a bottle of Tylenol on the counter next to the rather impressive pile of hair crap Fawkes lugged with him everywhere. His hope was that his partner would get the hint and down a few to ease the pounding of the 15 pound sledgehammer that had, most likely, taken up residence in his skull. 

You'd figure, considering he had himself a steady girl, he'd do something realistic with that hair besides making himself look like he'd just stuck his finger in a light socket, but no. In fact, he put great effort in making sure that it not only stood up, but that it did it _just so_. Watching Fawkes create that work of art was more than enough to make Bobby glad his hair had moved off into other realms; one less point of vanity he had to deal with. Besides, all the people who really mattered liked him just the way he was. 

"Damn it Sil, you are not going anywhere!" Graywolf bellowed for the fourth or fifth time, at his frustrating female partner.

"Graywolf, who the hell do you think you are? My mother?" Alyx shot back, at least she had come up with something original for a response every time, unlike him. She was sitting up, sort of, her back perfectly straight and still, since, as she had discovered the hard way, she was very, very stiff and about 10 times more sore than she had expected. The patch job Bobby had done was holding up, but she didn't want to start it bleeding again. And she was getting damn tired of this argument. "I am more than capable of sitting on my ass in some archive while staring at a computer screen. My mind works just fine." To prove her point every loose item in the room, including the table and three chairs, lifted into the air to hang for a couple of dead silent minutes, without a wobble in the lot, before finally setting them back down. Her point, she thought anyway, made.

"Then you are perfectly capable of sitting on your ass _here_," Gray snapped back at her. He couldn't miss the anger that flashed in her eyes. She was going to get all obstinate on him and he had yet to figure out how to tell her _no_ and have it stick.

"Kid, you thinking we can't handle a boring morning in a dusty file room?" Hobbes stepped into her line of sight, though it wasn't very likely that she hadn't known he was there.

"No... but the last time we were in that boring file room we got attacked by four unknowns," Alyx countered, with a smug look that made Hobbes roll his eyes and sigh.

"Which is how you ended up hurt in the first place." Gray stabbed a hand in her direction to emphasize his point, but it was obvious the purpose of the display was lost on her. "You are staying here." His voice was nothing but a low growl. "You spent half the night having nightmares and the other half whimpering in pain." His shoulders slumped, his irritation and frustration draining away as he remembered exactly how bad the night had been at some points. Yelling at her was getting them nowhere, except to encourage her to arrive, all that much sooner, in stubbornville. Gray lowered his voice and softened his tone. "You need to rest, to give your body a chance to recover. One day is all I'm asking. Please."

Part of her wanted to shout that the reason she'd gotten hurt was because she'd been too distracted by saving Gray's ass to watch out for her own, but refrained. Saving him was something she had to do, would have done even if she had ended up hurt far worse than she was. She looked from Gray to Bobby and saw that he was in complete agreement with her bullying partner. "All right, but I'll assist you from here. Your phone works and I can hack into the system with the laptop." Gray sucked in a breath to argue, but she ran over the top of his words. "One word against and I'll get up off this bed and walk out of here."

Bobby could see that she was dead serious. "Deal." When Gray turned and stared at him in total disbelief, Bobby met the green eyes calmly. "You know she'll do it, just to prove she can."

"Yeah, I know." Gray shrugged slightly and turned back to her. "You _will_ eat, however."

"Hell, yes. I'm starved." Alyx carefully relaxed back into the pile of pillows now that an agreement had been reached. She wasn't entirely happy with it, but neither was Gray, so, therefore, it must be an equitable solution.

There was a groan from the doorway. "Don't mention food. And turn off the lights, they're too frickin' bright." Darien was leaning against the doorframe in a beat-up pair of dark brown khakis and an off-white long-sleeved shirt, which was haphazardly buttoned with the shirttail hanging loose. He was a lovely shade of pale tinted liberally with green, his eyes were bloodshot, and his hair... drooped.

Alyx had to put a hand over her mouth to hide the grin and the overwhelming urge to laugh.

"How ya doing, my friend?" Bobby made sure to say this far louder than necessary, using that borderline bellow that he had learned back in his days as a Marine, and that got the attention of even the most stubborn of perps.

Darien clapped his hands over his ears and whimpered, his eyes squinting nearly shut as he glared at Hobbes. "Cruel, my friend. That is very cruel."

"And who went out and decided to drink half a bottle of scotch in under an hour?" Bobby jovially thumped Darien on the back, nearly knocking him over, since his balance was currently set to unsteady. Bobby winked at Alyx. "I'd make him stay as well, but I have the feeling we might need his talents." 

"Get over here, ya idge," Alyx directed Darien while she laughed, shaking her head at him. "Let's see if I can help a bit." She'd been ignoring the phantom headache he was echoing through to her; it was a minor discomfort when compared to aching void that used to be her back.

Darien staggered over to the bed and attempted to sit down gently, but didn't quite manage it. He misjudged the distance and dropped the last several inches with enough force to bounce the bed. "Crap, sorry."

Alyx made sure not to flinch, even though pain shot through her back at the bed's movement. She wagged a finger at him. "I should let you suffer. Maybe teach you a lesson." He did _that_ look, the one that made her want to pet him, hold him close, and make it all better. She sighed. "All right, but next time you better take me with you."

"Yes, yes, anything. Just make the pink elephant stop the tap dancing lesson, please," Darien pleaded, crawling over until his head was in her lap.

Gray was so... so dumbfounded by the sight, that he was torn. Half of him wanted to laugh hysterically at the fool Fawkes was making of himself, and the other half wanted to shake some sense into the man, maybe slam him into the wall for emphasis. To drag Fawkes away from _his_ partner and make him leave her alone... forever. He kept himself calm; his look bland, and reminded himself that it had been his arms wrapped about her in comfort when the nightmares had woken her. His voice that had brought her back to reality and calmed her. His hands that soothed the aches in her back when the muscles cramped as she lay fighting unseen enemies in her sleep.

They definitely needed to talk, but later. When Fawkes was not around to interfere, to sway her mind away from the reality of the situation. And he really wanted to know who this _Jess_ was that so terrified her. He turned away from the sight of her gently running her fingers along Fawkes' face, to finish getting dressed and order some food for breakfast from the restaurant downstairs.

"Can you actually help him?" Bobby asked, as he moved over towards one of the chairs that had been floating near the ceiling not all that long ago. Spinning it about, he sank onto it and rested his forearms along the back.

Alyx nodded, still focused on Darien. "Don't see why not. It's not the first time I've, uh... eased the results of overindulgence for his majesty here."

"Why am I not surprised?" Bobby muttered, mostly to himself. "Well, so long as you know it works and that you're not gonna scramble his gray matter any more than it already is." He'd been on the receiving end of the kid's little pain reducing trick a time or two, and had to admit it was pretty damn useful. The lack of side effects, like one sometimes got with drugs, made it a big plus, even if the results were short term only.

Alyx turned her focus to the man lying sprawled across her legs. She'd been gently caressing his face to get him to relax a bit. He was doing a pretty good job at blocking her because of his discomfort and for this to work she couldn't be forcing her way in. "Relax. If you fight me I won't be able to help."

"Tell the room to stop spinning," Darien griped, but did his best to comply. It took a couple of deep breaths and for him to run through a basic meditation countdown -- three times -- before he had a reasonable amount of success.

*_That's good_.* Alyx made sure to keep the contact light, since he still wasn't quite there yet. *_The beach, remember? Go for a swim while I work_.* Ages ago, when Alyx had still been working at the Agency, they'd come up with a few techniques that they used together. This particular one involved imagery and Darien had chosen a beach scene for his. *_And after you can just lie in the sun and bake. The warmth seeping into your skin and as you relax and drift_.* That did it. With a sigh that was just as much mental as audible, Darien fell into a light trance that allowed Alyx to track down the specific pain receptors that were being a bit over enthusiastic and convince them to quiet for a time. She was careful of those that were firing near the gland and let them be. He'd still have a headache, but mild in comparison to what he was dealing with at the moment.

She checked him over one last time before sliding back out of his mind and opening her eyes to gaze down at him. He had fallen into a light doze, which she wasn't all that surprised about, as he was actually tired from his less than restful night's sleep, and giving her a chance to really look him over. His color had returned, he no longer had the sickly pallor he'd been sporting just minutes before. His face relaxed instead of tight with pain. Alyx smiled and shook her head gently.

"He okay, kid?" Bobby had been quiet while she'd done her thing, not wanting risk disturbing her concentration.

"Yes," She lifted her head and turned to meet Bobby's concerned gaze. "He just fell asleep."

"I should've known. Well, wake him up." Bobby got up from the chair, headed to the bed, and poked Darien a good one in the gut. "Up and at 'em, ya mook."

Darien jerked backed to consciousness with a startled _oof_ of surprise. "Hey, what was that for?" he grumbled in irritation, then realization of his considerably improved condition sank in. "My head doesn't hurt any more."

"That was the intention, was it not?" Gray commented, as he looked up from the computer where he'd been working for the past several minutes as an excuse to ignore what was going on just a few feet away from him.

"True," Darien responded amiably enough. He actually remembered the majority of the discussion they'd had the night before; he just wasn't all that sure how Gray had decided to take it. All Darien knew was that he had no specific plans to cause a problem between Gray and Alyx, but he also wasn't going to just fade into the background to make things easier. He fully intended to remain involved in her life-- all of it -- for as long as she'd let him. Rolling gently off Alyx he gave her a quick smile. "Thanks."

"No prob. Just wish you could do the same for me." She tried to shift and get a bit more comfortable without success. "Behave, though. You don't want to kick that headache back up. You know it doesn't work as well if it's done too often."

"He knows, kid. Let me change your dressing and we'll get out of your hair for a bit. Let you catch a shower." He moved over to the bag with the seeming never-ending supply of medical gear and looked through it for a moment. "I thought I saw ... Yes. You're in luck. Got waterproof tape in here." He carried the bag over and set it on the foot of the bed. "Make things a bit easier for you anyway."

Darien sat up to get out of her way as she slowly moved to lie on her left side and allow Bobby access to the bandages he'd put on last night that were now stained with old blood. "What happened?"

Bobby got to work and let Alyx answer the question. They hadn't really talked about the argument between the two agents as other things had occupied their attention at the time. Including Alyx actually passing out twice while Bobby had indeed done his worst to put her body back together. He carefully peeled back the bandage and tossed it into the nearby garbage can and began to clean the area as gently as he could manage with rubbing alcohol, causing Alyx to suck in a breath in reaction.

"Uh, I did one of my more brilliant and artistic moves and backed into the bureau." She reached out and grabbed one of Darien's hands and gave it a squeeze. "I'm fine and Bobby patched me up..." She stopped, her face scrunching up and contorting in response to what Bobby was doing. "Ow," she squeaked out in a rather pitiful tone.

"Sorry, kid. But it's a mess back here." Bobby wasn't kidding. The diamond-like pattern of the landing made the bruise look rather unique and oddly... pretty. Where she'd hit it on the bureau, the more prominent welts of the waffle pattern had broken open -- still following the existing imprint -- making an even bigger mess of the whole thing. Bobby debated, again, forcing her endure a few stitches to make sure the suckers would stay shut and finally stop bleeding. He turned to Gray who had come up beside Hobbes and looked over his shoulder at Alyx's back. "Waddaya think? Sutures?"

Gray considered it for a moment and shook his head. "No, she heals fast enough to not need them. We just need to keep her immobile 'til she's had a chance to." The last comment was obviously aimed directly at the woman in question and she knew it.

Darien snorted. "Not likely." He caught the hand that mocked swung at him and curled his about it. "You are a mess, as usual."

"Me? Haven't noticed the bruise on your cheek, have you?" Alyx commented and couldn't restrain the grin as one of his hands went to his face only to find she was right. The side that had slammed into the floor yesterday was quite tender.

"Crap. Like the new and improved collection on my ribs isn't enough," he groused. "Did any of us get out of that without damage?" He looked at the other two men and both shook their heads. "Great, bad guys four. Good guys zip. At least we're consistent."

"A few bruises, nothing serious. You two got the worst of it." Gray had true sympathy in his voice. Fawkes and Sil had taken the brunt of the abuse the day before. "Breakfast will be ready for us to pick up in 10 minutes." He informed the two men.

Taking the hint, Darien released Alyx's hand and got off the bed with far more care than he had gotten upon it. "I'll be ready. I'm starved." The instant he was out of the room Bobby chuckled.

"Wasn't he just telling us to _not_ mention food?" Gray asked in disbelief.

"Yup, can't keep him down for long." Bobby held the new dressing in place as he covered it entirely in the clear waterproof tape, and returned Alyx's shirt to its proper position once he was done. "How ya holding up, kid?"

"Been better, Bobby." Her voice was raw from holding back the yelps of pain that had wanted to escape due to some of the things he'd done. "Been worse too. So, I'll survive."

"A'course you will." He put away the last few items and got to his feet. "I'll go prod Fawkes before he decides to spend an hour perfecting his pompadour."

That statement earned a soft laugh from Gray who sat down next to Alyx and helped get her a bit more comfortably situated. Once Bobby was gone and the door shut Gray took a deep breath to calm himself, not really sure how to broach this subject with her. "Are you really all right, Sil? He didn't hurt you did he?"

"No more than necessary," Alyx answered truthfully. She caught the sudden anger that shot through him, though he kept his look carefully neutral, and she was more than a bit confused about it, especially since it seemed to be focused at Darien. "Bobby did the best he could, but I knew it would still hurt." This time it was his turn at confusion. "Gray, why would you think Darien hurt me?"

The flush that burned his cheeks was almost as much anger as embarrassment. "Sil, you talk when you have nightmares and it was quite obvious that Fawkes or ... or someone..." He stopped at the pained look on her face.

"Ah, hell. I... now is not the time for this." Mainly because Alyx had no idea what to tell him and would not tell him the truth, not yet anyway. It was too damn risky for her family. "Gray, I swear to you it wasn't Darien." She picked up one of his hands and clasped it in both of her own. "I know you're upset with me and that you're having trouble trusting me because of it, but I still trust you. Just... could you give me the benefit of the doubt for now and not hurt him while working today. Please?" She looked into his eyes, not even trying to hide her feelings from him and after a moment he nodded.

For an instant he was tempted, almost beyond measure, to pull her closer and kiss her. To at least make the attempt, to see if, perhaps, she had feelings, real feelings, for him as well, but he remained still until the worst of it passed. "Come on. Lets get you up and moving and we'll bring you breakfast." With all the caution he could muster he helped her to her feet, actually surprised she was able to stand on her own.

"Breakfast in bed, I could get used to that." Alyx managed about half a smile, standing and walking hurt just about as much as she had thought it would. A hot shower would loosen the muscles dramatically and a low dose of one of her pain pills would take care of the rest. No more shots, if she could at all avoid it. Once the bathroom door was closed and she was staring at her reflection, her smile faded into a mask of pain, but it wasn't because of her back. Part of her wished it were because of her back since that would be far, _far_ simpler to deal with. No, she'd been holding Gray's hand and caught the tenor of his thoughts, knew what he had wanted to, yet had refrained from, doing. Knew far more than she wanted to, now.

Moving one slow step at a time she started the water and stripped. There wasn't anything she could do about Gray's feelings. She was... flattered that he cared so much for her, but, although the sexual overtones were there, it wasn't love, at least not the kind he seemed to think it was. He seemed to simply be allowing the normal and natural care he had for her to be blown out of proportion, and it made her wonder if he'd ever been just a friend to the women around him. Alyx knew she was his first female partner and, near as she could tell, he was unsure what to do with the surprisingly deep emotions he had for her, and thus had fallen back upon the standard boy-girl relationship. And, yes, the element of desire was present, but it was different, almost forced, which was why he'd been acting so bloody weird the last few days.

It was just her luck to be stuck with three Alpha males who had all decided -- for very different reasons -- that she was _his_ mate and each doing his damnedest to protect her from the others. Grousing about always seeming to get smacked with "something else" just when she didn't need it, she stepped under the water, and turned it even warmer, until it was as hot as she could take it. She leaned forward, hands resting on the wall, so that her back was receiving the majority of the flow. It would work out. She wasn't sure how, but she had the feeling it would.

***

The sound of keys being tapped almost covered the sound of discontented grumbling. "Treating me like a blinking invalid. Like I haven't worked with worse injuries. Only I could get stuck with three of the most overprotective men in the entire secret agent community." A slight smile crossed her features. It could be worse -- lots worse -- she could have been stuck with Morris and company and have to deal with their constant attacks and insults. 

Her first month with the CIA had been like that until Agent Lauren Cavanaugh, the one in charge of their section, had noticed it and done something about it. The day Alyx had been called into the iron-haired woman's office had been extremely bad. Alyx had just returned from a two-day assignment -- successfully completed -- to find her desk slathered in insults about her _method_ for successfully getting out of the Agency and up into the _big leagues_.' The poorly created and contrived images, and blatant sexual references, were beyond juvenile in her mind, yet, somehow, they still hurt. Her only audible comment had been along the lines of the poor choice of body double they had used and the lack of skill with which they had stuck her face to the body. Piling them neatly, she slipped them into a drawer which someone had, unsuccessfully, attempted to jimmy open. One good thing about having had a thief as a former partner, she knew quite a few methods to defeat potential burglars, or in this case practical jokers.

She had come within seconds of calling the President himself and telling him to go to hell and quit, to go back home to her kids; maybe call Darien and invite him for a visit, when she'd been called into her boss' office. The woman was a good decade and a half older than Bobby -- mid-fifties or so -- and had fought her way up to this position with sheer ballsiness and by being damn good at her job. She'd done her time in the field, had put up with being ostracized, much like that which Alyx was currently dealing with, and, in the end, had proven herself more than worthy of the challenge. Cavanaugh apparently saw the same strength in Alyx and told her so. They had discussed quite few things that morning -- including Alyx's need for a reliable and trustworthy partner.

Dealing with Morris had never become easier, but the job had. It was life overall that was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with.

Her screen finally did what she wanted it to, and she picked up her cell phone and dialed Gray's cell number. "Okay, Gray, I'm in the computer system," she informed him as she started a records search for adoptions that would fit the situation.

"_Any luck on your end_?" She could hear Gray moving as he spoke to her.

"Not yet. Uh, have one of the guys check for a death certificate for the baby." She wondered why she hadn't thought of that before. If Angela had died in childbirth the baby could have as well, even with a birth certificate. If a preemie she could have died days later. Alyx set the phone down and cranked the volume so that she'd hear if Gray spoke to her.

She could hear the sounds of movement, the metallic squeal of poorly oiled file drawers being opened and then the rustle of papers as Gray, most likely, thumbed through the records.

The connection to the computer system suddenly went down. Alyx stared at the screen for a moment in irritation, then started over again only to get an error message. 

She picked up the phone. "Gray, the computer just went down." When there was no immediate answer she figured he was either distracted or that he couldn't hear her, perhaps had set the phone down and wandered away. "Gray?" 

Shouts were suddenly heard across the distance.

"Damn it. Gray!" she shouted into the line. She listened for a few more seconds, trying to determine exactly what was happening, and then the line went dead.


	8. Chapter 8

*8*

"_Okay, Gray, I'm in the computer system_." Alyx's voice wafted out of the phone perfectly clear, considering they were buried at least partially underground. The building was technically still closed, because of the incident the evening before -- the worker who had been injured was going to be just fine and had suffered only a mild concussion. Graywolf had pulled rank on the few officers baby-sitting the building during their morning doughnut break and, after a few promises that would be easily kept since they did not impinge on what they wanted to do, got them inside the building and into the records room. Turned out the bad guys that had appeared upstairs had broken through one of the small ground level -- literally ground level -- windows that lined the upper floor of the room and escaped the same way. It wasn't that the windows had lacked security, but it had been efficiently and expertly bypassed.

"Any luck on your end?" Gray asked as he headed for the adoption records on the lower floor.

"_Not yet. Uh, have one of the guys check for a death certificate for the baby_." Alyx sounded distracted as she worked on digging through the computer records from the hotel room as planned. 

"On it. Fawkes, check the death certificates to see if there's one for the baby," Gray called out to the two men who were looking warily about the room.

Darien nodded and headed for the stairs with Hobbes trailing after him. Hobbes knew just where to go, as he'd found the death certificate for Angela Randall yesterday, right before everything had gone to hell. 

"Hold up a second, Fawkes." What had caught his eye was the section of banister that Graywolf had nearly taken a back flip over the day before; it wasn't sitting straight, canted out at a slight angle compared to the sections to either side of it. Walking over to it he ran his hand along it, only to have it fall apart at his touch. The rail coming off in his hand, while the antique hand turned spindles fell; some to hit the floor far below them. "Hot damn."

"Whoa, Hobbes. Thought they were trying to save the place, doubt they'd appreciate you taking a bite out of it," Darien commented as he looked over the shorter man's shoulder and down at the pieces that had impacted with the floor.

"This is the spot Gray nearly went over yesterday. Now, I understand why the kid got hurt. She was too busy saving Gray's ass to realize she was about to be attacked." Hobbes dropped the banister section he held and it landed with a dull thud. He didn't quite understand the meaning of the look that flickered across his partner's features. "What? You'd rather he fell?

Darien shook his head. "Not that. I... I guess it just really hit me that's she's not coming back to the Agency. That Graywolf is her partner now and I'm just her... her boyfriend." He looked over at Bobby hoping for... he wasn't quite sure what. Sympathy? Understanding, maybe?

"Fawkes, it was bound to happen anyway. Even if she had stayed with the Agency, had never left, she'd be gone half the time working for others. Even you saw that coming," Hobbes reminded him as they moved away from the broken balustrade and toward the section they needed.

Darien rubbed the back of his head as they walked. "Yeah, I did, but I figured it'd be me she was coming home to. Not..."

"Graywolf?" Hobbes caught the wince. "Fawkes, I should smack some sense back into that skull of yours." He stopped before the row of file cabinets; his eyes roving across them as he looked for 'R.' "She ain't stepping out on ya. Not beyond what she has to do for work, anyway." Hobbes moved to the correct drawer and slid it open.

"I know _that_," Darien all but sneered. "Just not part of the plan, man. Not even close."

Hobbes paused his perusal of the files to turn and look at Fawkes. "You had a plan?"

"Well... sort of. We..." There were unexpected shouts from elsewhere in the building and then the sound of the doors on the lower floor being smashed inward was heard by the two men. They glanced at each other and without a single word made their cautious way through the stacks to see what was going on. Gray shouting out a warning and then sounds of a fight were more than enough to make them realize this was not the _good guys._

"Fawkes," Hobbes hissed, but Darien was already well on his way to being gone. There were already three of _them_ up here, methodically searching the room for... Bobby had no idea what, but he seriously doubted it was anything good.

Bobby pulled his gun and hid behind the shelves as he watched the guys. They wore black head to toe, weapons, including some brand new AK-47s with laser sights, masks over their faces so that he could make out nothing more than their eyes. They didn't say a word, but moved with a coordination that told Hobbes they had worked together before. He could hear them opening and closing file cabinets, but not randomly, making it obvious they knew what they were looking for and exactly where it was.

It was an unexpected shout from Fawkes that discouraged him from spying on the men any longer to see what they were after. Gun still drawn and at the ready, he made his way back to the stairs, intending to head down and save his partner's ass yet again, only to get spotted crossing the open expanse between the stacks and the metal staircase.

The guy didn't even do the courtesy of giving him a warning, just aimed and fired. Hobbes dove into a controlled roll and ended up where he needed to be, at the top of the stairs. He took a second to fire off a couple rounds, which caused his assailant to dive behind some shelving and give Hobbes a chance to clatter down the stairs at top speed. Another shot was fired, one that whizzed by his head to impact on the railing and ricochet off into the room, that encouraged him to bypass the lower half of the staircase and simply leap the rail to land in a crouch on the wood of the floor below. He was up and heading for the sounds of a fight even as the guys upstairs took another round of poorly aimed potshots at him.

Darien had gone down the stairs with a silence that was learned from years of combined cat-burglary and sneaking about for the Agency. He followed the sounds of a struggle to find Graywolf up against three guys and another on the floor taking an unscheduled nap. Darien had to give him credit, Gray could fight, but three on one just wasn't very fair. "Hey!" Darien shouted and was successful enough to get two of the assailants to spin about and look for him. It was the gun firing, in the wrong direction, thankfully, that made him realize that whoever these guys were they were damn serious about this.

There was downside to his effort at helping Graywolf, in that his shout distracted him as well and allowed bad guy number three to get a decent enough hold on Gray and a gun jammed securely into his ribs. 

"Where's the girl?" The voice was perfectly clear even through the mask hiding his features.

"What girl?" Graywolf asked, feigning confusion, as he tried to relax and not fight the forearm pressed tightly against his throat and threatening to cut off his air. The guy was quite a bit shorter than him and was making him, literally, bend over backwards to keep the hold tight.

Darien just about lost control over the Quicksilver at the words. What the devil could they want with Alyx? He moved carefully, not wanting to give away his position or risk injury to Graywolf, though he did have to wonder why he was shot at without so much as a by your leave while Gray was captured and questioned.

"You were warned to stay away from this." The man's voice was rough with anger. "Where is the girl?"

Suspecting things were about to go from bad to really, really crappy Darien charged the two guys that were still warily watching for him and bowled them over. That earned him a single shot fired in his direction by the guy holding Gray, but gave the agent the chance to collapse his legs, going to one knee, and elbow the man hard enough to double him over and release his hold. Gray then spun about, grabbed the man by the throat with one hand, the gun hand with the other, crushing it, until the gun was released to fall to the floor. Gray then stood upright, astonishingly quickly for his size, and shoved the stranger into the nearest upright object - a set of shelves hard enough to rock them. Boxes and other stray items fell to the floor with the force of it.

"Who sent you?" Gray snarled. "Who do you work for?"

The guys Darien had knocked about were swiftly regaining their senses and, based on the gunfire upstairs, Hobbes was doing his share of causing trouble. Darien dropped the Quicksilver and moved up beside Graywolf. "Retreat may be in order, my friend."

If Gray was at all startled by Darien's sudden appearance he didn't show it. He did, however, make it plain he wasn't quite ready to leave yet. "Who sent you?" he asked again as he pulled the guy away and slammed him into the shelving a second time; this time hard enough to earn a yelp of pain from the mystery man. Gray needed to know, wouldn't take the risk that Sil could end up harmed because he wasn't willing to stay long enough to get the information. 

It was the voices that crackled out of the radio the guy wore that changed his mind. "_Mission objective one complete_." Followed a moment later by_, "Good, move to objective two. Eliminate those here, we'll find the girl later_."

"Fawkes!" Hobbes shouted as he came around the corner firing at the two who had swung their weapons on Graywolf and Fawkes. "Now might be a good time to disappear."

"On it." Darien lashed out with a fist and put the man in Gray's hold out for a midmorning nap. Ignoring the glare Gray leveled at him, Darien set a hand on the man's shoulder and spoke softly. "I'll explain later."

Gray dropped the guy as the Quicksilver flowed over him. "What the hell?" Surprise was far too mild a term for what was currently shooting through his mind.

Tugging on Gray's arm to shock him out of the stunned immobility he'd fallen into, the two men moved in Hobbes' direction and Darien added Bobby to the little Quicksilver show. "Get us the hell out of here, Hobbes."

"Good plan." Heading for the door the three men successfully avoided the majority of the team that was scattered throughout the building. It was one smart-ass who happened to be wearing, not thermals by the looks of them, but what appeared to be night vision goggles that had to be set damn weird who spotted them. He only got off a couple of shots before Darien slammed into him into a wall, ripped the goggles off his head, and smashed them into the floor. Bobby then took care of putting him out cold.

Finally outside, they spotted the four dark toned SUVs, with the blacked out windows and no visible plates that just screamed military. They started to head past them, the Quicksilver falling away from Hobbes and Gray, both of whom had their guns drawn and at the ready, but Darien paused, the Quicksilver flaking away from him as well, to reveal him standing by one of the SUVs.

"Fawkes, ever hear the term _clean getaway_?" Hobbes asked with some impatience.

"Yep, but I had a thought -- scary as that sounds." He wandered over to one of the SUVs and set a hand atop it. The Quicksilver flowed, covering the vehicle amazingly fast. He was a least slightly motivated and figured if they couldn't find their cars right away it would keep them from following them.

"Fawkes, you nut." Hobbes dashed towards their rental. "Good work." He got it started as Darien moved onto the next SUV in the row. It was nice of the bad guys to park their vehicles so near each other. Just a bit closer and he could probably manage to do two at once, but they were just out of reach of each other.

Graywolf watched all this in complete amazement. "Shil-loh-beesh-ligaii?" When Darien glanced at him in confusion he repeated in English, "Quicksilver?"

"Yeah, long story that I," Four of the gun toting, black wearing annoyances burst out the front door just as Darien started on the last vehicle, "don't have time to go into." As he ducked behind the vehicle he noticed that it was going a lot slower than the rest had and he had one hell of a headache building that was... eerily familiar.

"Move your ass, Fawkes," Hobbes shouted, as he pulled the SUV up and took a couple shots at the bad guys, making them dive for cover behind some bushes that, from the sound of it, just happened to be covered in thorns. 

Graywolf bolted for the SUV, firing off a couple rounds of his own to give Fawkes enough time to finish making the last vehicle disappear. He noted the decided lack of police presence that had been there when they arrived. Whoever _they_ were, they had enough pull to get this place turned into a ghost town while they did their dirty little deeds. "Hobbes, we were set up."

"Looks that way, don't it?" Hobbes took another shot, just to keep the bad guys on their best behavior only to have them fire back this time. Shots twanging off the side of the rental. "Shit."

Darien yanked open the rear door and slid in. The headache was doing a damn good job at making him cranky -- now was not when he needed Alyx's little trick to wear off. He rolled down the window just enough to set his hand on the roof and let the Quicksilver flow again. "Go Hobbes!"

Bobby didn't argue and sped away without a second glance. Shots impacted against the rear of the SUV, but he didn't even consider slowing down. By the time they hit the road, and the early morning traffic, their vehicle was gone from sight, which made driving an interesting challenge, one Bobby was more than a match for. It was still odd to realize others couldn't see him as they sped down the road at, he glanced down at the speedometer forgetting that he couldn't see it at the moment and guessed they were cruising at about 60 on this 40 mile per hour road. Dodging the other drivers, he estimated the time until they would be visible and planned accordingly. Intending to pull over in some shopping mall parking lot or the like and see if their _friends_ just happened to drive by.

Gray was doing his best to not freak completely, but it was almost too much to handle. Only Sil could Quicksilver, right? So he had thought anyway, but Fawkes was doing it as well and Gray couldn't help but wonder if the man also had some of Sil's other abilities. Why hadn't she told him about this facet of Fawkes' 'talents,' especially since he'd been assuming the worst about the man? Why... about quite a few things at this point.

It was a grunt of pain from the rear that drew his attention from the mindless circling of his thoughts. "Fawkes?"

Darien wasn't able to answer. As soon as he'd successfully made the car disappear his head had exploded in pain. It made him double over and put his hands to the back of his neck, curling up as the muscle spasms and petite mal seizures took over control of his body. When it had finally passed he just lay there shaking in terror. He really, _really_ wanted to check his wrist 'cause unless he'd gone completely insane, he was going... completely insane. 

The headaches and seizures weren't something he'd ever forget and if this wasn't it, if it wasn't the madness, then he was ... He was in trouble no matter what. "Hobbes, hurry."

Alyx spent a couple minutes dialing and redialing Gray's number before giving up. She then tried both Bobby's and Darien's without success. The mechanical voice coming out of her phone insisting they were out of service. Jammed was more likely the cause, which meant they were in trouble and she had no way to help them, not from here, and even if she managed to get _there_, it would already be too late. Whatever was occurring they could handle on their own, she knew that, believed that, but that didn't make the not knowing any easier. 

Graywolf may have been chosen as her protector as much as her partner, but she did her fair share of protecting as well and she'd do her damnedest to keep him from getting hurt, just as had for both Bobby and Darien when she'd worked with them. She groaned aloud, practically collapsing in the chair as she allowed herself one moment of unrestrained worry and... fear.

Getting up from the table, her back reduced to a dull burning thanks to the pain pills, she moved to the bed and took up a lotus position. She might not be able to get them on a phone, but she could still _find_ them and a least make sure they were okay.

Calming herself took a bit longer than she liked; having all three men in potential trouble bothered her, and she had trouble pushing it aside and relaxing enough so that she could make contact with at least one of them. It took several minutes, but she finally had success and chose Darien to seek out first; her connection with him by far the strongest of the three. The trick here was to not search for him, but to just let it happen and, depending on how distracted he was, the link would either be very light with only vague impressions or quite strong where she could very nearly get a visual of what was going on. Him _echoing_ what was happening back through to her.

She'd learned over the months since regaining her abilities that it didn't matter where he was, she could find him, could feel him, even when separated by half the world. Distance dulled the connection, but it was always there. Darien wasn't the only one, with Bobby and Graywolf there was a much milder connection, and with her family -- her kids and Mikey especially -- it was as strong or stronger than the one with Darien. Neither she nor Mikey really understood this odd extension of her abilities, though they had a few theories.

Unsure how much time had passed, she finally found Darien and from him Bobby and Graywolf, who were very close by. They were all radiating a combination of confusion, fear, and irritation, and they were so focused on the matter at hand that her connection was fairly poor, but it was a relief to know they were all okay -- for now.

She just wished she could _do_ something, but at this distance she couldn't actually talk to any of them, just monitor. Made her wish Cowan was along, they had been able to _boost_ each other's abilities on occasion. It was an interesting side effect of that they had exploited effectively on several missions already.

Gray's sudden anger combined with Darien's -- surprising -- calmness shocked her back out of her stray musings. The full gamut of emotions was coming from the three men. Anger, fear, confusion, amusement, relief and then, suddenly, pain, mild at first, but building quickly. She knew it was Darien and found herself caught, focused solely on him as the pain and then his fear slipped upwards several notches. 

She was still trapped there when the first mind blinding pain struck him. She came back to herself a few minutes later lying on her side on the bed... on her right side. Struggling to sit up, she discovered she'd closed the connection -- as much as she ever could, anyway -- to Darien in a self-defensive reaction, but she had gotten more than enough to be truly frightened for him. That... _pain_. There was only one thing that did that to him. The gland. But... and this caused her to become even more confused and concerned ... Claire had cured him, he'd not had a single madness symptom since the day he'd been given the suicide gene with a shot of counteragent; not a problem, not even a blip on the madness radar. Yet, what she had felt -- and she had been in his head during pre-madness seizures previously -- had been so close to a toxin reaction that she couldn't think of what else it could possibly be.

Her head aching nearly as much as her back she checked her internal time clock and figured she'd been out cold for about 10 minutes. "Damn it," she muttered. Couldn't they have just one mission go something vaguely resembling smoothly? Focusing on Graywolf - she was not willing to risk another black out by touching Darien's mind - she found them far closer than she expected, already in the parking lot. There was the unmistakable aura of concern coming off Gray, oddly focused more on herself than on Darien.

Sliding off the bed she moved through the adjoining door and into the other room. She was standing in the hall when they came around the corner, both men supporting Darien who was whimpering in pain and fear. 

"Bed," she ordered, even as they moved that way on their own. About halfway there, Darien went to another set of seizures, which caused them to unintentionally drop him on the bed. She climbed on the bed with him and tried to ease the pain until he finally relaxed, panting, moaning and very nearly unconscious. "Get the Keeper on the phone, now."

"On it, kid." Hobbes already had his phone out and to his ear. Speed dial had it uses. 

Alyx gave Darien the once over, starting by checking his monitor tattoo and finding it completely green. "What the hell happened?" She just barely kept her voice below a shout.

"We were attacked. He... he Quicksilvered us so we could get away." Gray answered, his voice tight. He was confused and angry... with her and knew he would be of little use in this situation. He had no idea what was wrong with Fawkes and, most likely, had no way to help fix it, but he could do everything possible to keep all of them safe. "I'm going to head out and make sure they didn't follow us."

Hobbes nodded. "Good idea. Stay in contact."

"Sil..." Gray didn't know what to say. She had proclaimed trust, yet hadn't told him about Fawkes, and that hurt far more than he thought possible, and he knew she could see it in his eyes. Turning away he headed back out towards the parking lot to watch for their attackers, on the off chance one of them had managed to follow them all the way here.

Darien regained consciousness and was surprised to find Alyx leaning over him looking worried. "Ouch." His voice was rough with pain and tightly reined in fear. "What's happening?"

"Not sure, bub, but I need you to relax and not fight the pain, so I can figure out what's going on." Alyx spoke softly, betting his sight and hearing would be hypersensitive at the moment. "Can you tell me what you did? How much Quicksilver did you use?"

"Uh, okay." Darien did his best to try to remember, but his head hurt horribly and made it more than a little difficult. "The three of us, some cars... I think that's it." He raised his right hand and looked at his wrist. He was shocked to see nothing but emerald scales before him. 

"Bobby, define 'some cars' for me, please?" Alyx requested, as Hobbes paced, rubbing the top of his head with worry while waiting for the Keeper to get her act together and her butt into the Keep where the info she needed to access was stored.

"Five SUVs," Hobbes told her and watched her eyes widen. He handed the phone to her. "Keep wants to talk to you."

"_Alyx, how is he_?" Claire sounded flustered more than anything else.

"Monitor is green and he's exhibiting no overt madness symptoms. No bloodshot or red eyes, however, he is having petite mal seizures and has the headache from hell." Alyx could hear Claire tapping keys on her keyboard as Alyx relayed the information. "Claire, has anything like this happened before?"

"_No. What has he been doing? Was he drugged_?" Claire rattled off in hopes of getting more information of use.

"Quicksilvering a bunch of cars," Alyx told her and then had a thought. "Claire, did you ever get around to the duration experiments?"

"_No, we haven't had the time_." Claire's voice trailed off, her mind obviously running over the same possible conclusion that Alyx had come to. "_Have him try and Quicksilver_."

"All right." Alyx passed the phone to Bobby and then met Darien's scared eyes. "I need you to Quicksilver your hand for me."

Darien actually began to quake in fear. He wanted no part of ever dealing with the madness again and was damn near phobic on the issue at this point. "Alyx, I..."

"Do you trust me?" she asked him very quietly.

"Yes," he got out past his fear.

"Then do this, please." She took one of his hands in her own. "I'll be here, and I promise you it'll be all right."

Darien swallowed hard and closed his eyes for a long moment, he'd done many things based on his trust in her and she'd never truly let him down. So how could he not believe her now? Raising his other hand, so that she would see, he convinced the Quicksilver to flow, but it came slow and took actual effort and concentration on his part. Concentration that was torn to shreds as his head exploded in pain again causing him to black out even as his body shook and writhed in pain.

Alyx had gone along for the ride, but pulled away just before he passed out and maintained her own consciousness. She held him until the convulsions eased and his body relaxed. She set fingers to his throat and found his pulse quite elevated and he was now flushed, but not feverish. While very similar to the nasty side effects of the madness there were differences.

"That was stupid, kid," Hobbes complained, and then explained what had happened to Claire. He yanked the phone away from his ear at the Keeper's excited shouting. "I think it's for you."

Alyx took the phone from him cautiously, she really didn't need Claire shouting in her ear. "Keep, theoretically here, could an overuse reaction cause symptoms similar to the madness?"

"_It's possible, I suppose. We've never considered this_..." Claire paused running ideas through her mind. "_Well, the gland can only secrete so much at a time, even if it does constantly produce_..."

"Has he been doing any long term Quicksilvering, or does he tend towards short duration out of habit?" Alyx asked and got nearly identical answers of "short term" from both ends of the phone.

"_That might be it_." Alyx could hear the glee in Claire's voice. "_I'll have to run tests, but he'll probably be fine in a day or so. Like anything else it takes practice and pushing his limits to improve. He_..." Claire actually laughed softly. "_He pulled a muscle, so to speak_."

"Kid?" Hobbes asked at her grin.

"He just overdid the Quicksilver a bit. He, uh..." She tried to think of how to say this without making Bobby want to tease Darien for the next few weeks. "The gland does not hold an endless supply of Quicksilver and he found his current limit, the hard way. Kinda like really pulling a muscle, the gland reacted by causing pain, and because of where it is and how it's wired into Darien head he gets..."

"Seizures and nasty headaches." Hobbes held out his hand. "Give over the phone. You try and get him comfortable while I get the low down from the Keep."

Alyx did so willingly enough, curling about Darien and trying to get him as comfortable as possible while the gland continued to make its unhappiness known. *_Gray? Are we clear_?*

It took him a minute before responding. *_We appear to be_.* They had parked their vehicle behind some bushes that separated sections of the parking lot so that it was not readily visible from the road and the few SUVs that had matched those owned by the enemy, had driven right by without even slowing, but he knew they were still in danger.

*_Gray ... Come back to the room, please_.* Alyx could feel his unhappiness and wanted to do whatever she could to correct things. *_Please, we'll explain everything_.*

*_All right_,* he acquiesced. He might as well try to understand what was going on before there were even more problems. Ignoring the elevator, he took the stairs two at a time until he reached the correct floor, wanting to burn off some of his... excess emotions before facing her. He was in the room moments later. "How is he?"

"Miserable, but should survive." Hobbes closed the phone and put it back in his pocket. "Keep says no meds 'til the seizures have passed. Said you'd know what to give him."

Alyx nodded. Darien had woken up a couple of times only to pass out again when the next set of seizures hit him. "Gray, Darien is even more highly classified than me." The man in question was currently lying curled on his side, his head in her lap, allowing her to run her fingers through his hair, as she tried to comfort him through the waves of pain that were finally starting to ease. "I wasn't hiding anything, just following orders." When he did nothing but stare at her blankly she sighed. "Have you heard the rumors about the Invisible Man Project?"

He nodded. "Those have been floating about for a few years, but there's no proof. I thought it was you for a time, but was told differently by Cavanaugh."

Hobbes sat down on the other bed and motioned at Darien's prone form. "You're looking at him." Graywolf whipped his head about to eye Hobbes with suspicion. "Yep, that there is 17 mil of the government's budget lying there, and who might have very well saved both your ass and mine this morning." Hobbes rubbed the top of his head with one hand. "Speaking of that, why the hell were they shooting at us?"

"You heard the radio, we were in the way." Graywolf turned to look over at his partner who for all the world appeared to be doing nothing more than staring intently at the man in her arms, but Gray knew she was paying very close attention to every word they said. "And that they wanted _the girl_."

Alyx raised her head slowly to meet the concerned green eyes of her partner.

"Those were _our_ guys, Special Forces or black ops, maybe. Someone pulled some big strings to drag them into this." Hobbes pushed himself to his feet and began to pace. "What were they after?"

"The records," Alyx answered. Hobbes looked at her in confusion. "The computer system went down before y'all got attacked. They were wiping the records. The info we're looking for." Hobbes stopped his pacing to lean back against the bureau. "That means we're on the right track."

"And it means we're in just as deep as I thought we'd be," Darien muttered, and then rolled over onto his back, with a groan, to look at their partners. "They're protecting something and are willing to kill us for it."

"Us, yes. Sil? Not yet anyway. They wanted her alive, I think." Gray wasn't entirely sure how he knew that. Knew that the questions as to her whereabouts didn't involve eliminating her as well.

"Crap," Hobbes growled in an undertone. "It could mean whoever is pulling the strings knows her value and not Fawkes'"

Darien chuckled in irony. "Seventeen mil just ain't worth what it used to be, is it?"


	9. Chapter 9

*9*

_"Political language. . . is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind." Now, George Orwell had his own view of government and made his opinions well known through his writing. Thanks to him the phrase "Big Brother is watching you" has become a part of our culture. The problem? Who is watching "Big Brother?"_

"How ya holding up, my friend?" Hobbes kept his voice down this time, unlike the day before when he'd been out to actually inflict pain on his bone-headed partner. Course he had deserved it, at the time. 

Darien was doing better, but was still dealing with the painful remnants of his overuse of Quicksilver. In many ways, it was far worse that what used to occur when he went Quicksilver mad. Then a shot of counteragent would usually do the trick, leaving Darien just feeling tired and possibly depressed, depending on what had occurred while he'd been gone off the deep end. On this occasion the only help involved time and some mild painkillers that relieved some, but not all of the residual symptoms. It had taken nearly 12 hours before the seizures had finally ceased altogether, leaving Darien exhausted, sore, and with one hell of a headache. Though the kid being there through most of it, probably provided more help than anything else could have.

They were currently cruising at a comfortable 65 and watching for their exit off highway 77 heading for the small town of Crete that was about 30 miles southwest of Lincoln. The two of them had been tracking down old friends and family of the Keller-Mercherson-Randall trio to find out what, if anything, they knew about Angela and the baby. Hell, trying to find out _anything_ of use, and having limited success. It had taken most of the day and several phone calls, but they finally found Angela's parents, who, once contacted, actually agreed to speak with them.

Graywolf and Alyx had headed back to D.C. to speak with Gray's contact about Keller and Lee. It had been Alyx's suggestion that they split up when an agreement couldn't be reached on their next move as a team. Hobbes had wanted to stick it out in Lincoln and see what other information they could dig up, while Graywolf had wanted to head back and speak to his mysterious contact about Keller; attacking the problem from the opposite side.

Alyx had also suggested that by heading back to D.C. it would keep whoever had attacked them from doing so again, drawing them back to the capitol with her. Her idea had been reluctantly agreed to, even if it was the most logical use of resources. So once Darien had recovered enough to be moved, they checked out of the hotel, dropped Alyx and Graywolf off at the airport to catch a plane back to D.C., while Bobby and Darien had found a new hotel to spend the night at. Even with the medication Alyx had provided, Darien was going to need at least 24 hours to recover and he was under express orders to not Quicksilver before then. 

In fact, Claire had ordered limited use for the next week, until Darien was back in the Keep and she could run some tests. She had tried to order them back home, but the Official had overridden her. He wasn't in any real danger as far as they could tell without detailed diagnostic equipment. Alyx had done what she could to check out both Darien and the gland and pronounced them whole if unhappy. If there had been any serious, or even the slightest hint of damage to the gland she would have escorted him back to San Diego herself, and told them so.

"Not bad," Darien answered, shifting slightly. He had suggested they just simply try the records again, in hopes the bad guys hadn't taken the files. Hobbes had, rightly, nixed that idea on the off chance the unfriendlies that had tried to eliminate them the day before had staked out the place in hopes of finding them and finishing the job. So it had, instead, been a day of phone calls and questions to people somewhat reluctant to answer, as they gathered what little information they could. In some ways he thought they had lucked out in not only learning Angela's parents were both alive and in the area, but in convincing them to talk with them on such short notice. "Not sure I like this splitting up." He raised a hand to forestall Hobbes' commentary. "Yes, I understand. Yes, it makes sense. But that don't mean I have to like it."

Hobbes chuckled softly. "True enough." He spotted their exit and glanced down at the directions the Randall's had given to him. "We should be there in 15 minutes or so."

Darien nodded and ran a hand through his hair. He knew that part of the reason he didn't like splitting up was that Alyx was now alone with Graywolf and that the man was going to do _something _in regards to his relationship with her. What he was going to do worried Darien, no matter how many times he told himself not to, and it made that lunatic idea of his seem just a bit more realistic, a bit more worthy of serious consideration.

"Hobbes, how'd you know when ... Vivian was the one?" 

Hobbes twitched in surprise. "What brought this on?" Since Viv had married that... Brock, he'd done his best to not think about her and had succeeded for the most part. His almost-more-trouble-than-he-was-worth partner had kept his mind on far more immediate things.

Suddenly struck with the sinking feeling that he'd just made a major error Darien mumbled, "No reason, just forget it."

Hobbes considered letting it drop, but after thinking over some of Fawkes' comments the last few days, hell weeks, he decided to press on. "So, you're actually thinking of popping the question?"

Darien groaned and tried to hide. Slouching down about as low as he could go in the seat and rubbing the back of his neck to try and relieve the tension that suddenly seemed to spring up there, he did his best to make himself invisible without using the damn gland. Great, now Hobbes would be teasing him about it for weeks, or telling him what a fool he was to even think about it. "Hobbes, just forget I said anything, would ya?"

"Not this time, my friend. I'm rather surprised this hasn't come up before now." Hobbes made sure to keep any of the humor he felt about the situation tucked well inside. Getting Fawkes to open up was worse than pulling teeth on an angry and conscious alligator. "It won't get her back to the Agency."

"I know," Darien replied in a tone of resignation. He _did_ know and, though part of him still hoped it would... encourage her to leave the CIA, he knew that wouldn't happen now. Three, four months ago, maybe. But now? Not likely. What with the new unit, being closer to her family, and... and her partner. 

"Fawkes, I'm not saying it won't work, but it sure as hell won't be easy." Hobbes tapped one finger on the steering wheel as he drove. He didn't want to miss the turnoff to Crete and have to backtrack. "Just think about why you want to do this, that's all I ask."

Darien was surprised. "What, no jokes? No trying to talk me out of it?"

"Nope, in fact if you decide to go through with this, and convince the kid, I'll help." Hobbes glanced at Darien and was unable to contain the laugh the look on his partner's face caused. "Fawkes, don't look so damn shocked. You've been nuts over her since day one and if being apart for over a year didn't change nothing..." He shook his head. "Don't screw this up or I'll be forced to beat some sense back into that head of yours."

"Bobby, I don't know what to say." The use of Hobbes' first name gave away how much his words and support meant to Darien. Even after all this time, Hobbes could still surprise Darien. "I... Thank you."

"Yeah, well, when she says yes, I had better be the best man," Hobbes commented as he slowed the car and turned down the main street of the town of the small town. All two stop lights of it.

Darien laughed in relief. "You know it, my friend." 

It was only three turns and about five minutes later that they pulled into the driveway of an average sized suburban home among dozens of others. At least it wasn't subdivision hell, with cookie-cutter houses and a bad case of "keeping up with the Jones'" permeating the neighborhood. Quiet streets lined with sidewalks and trees that provided plenty of shade to keep the front yards cool on even the hottest of summer days. Of course, with the exception of the occasional evergreen, the trees were currently naked and the remains of the last snowstorm still lay on the ground, though it had begun to melt during the day's comparative warmth.

The two men sat in the car, the ticking of the engine the only sound for long minutes as they contemplated how to question the couple about events that occurred 15 years ago. 

"Let me handle this, Fawkes." Hobbes opened the door and stepped out into the chilly evening air and Darien followed a moment later. 

"Sure. I'm perfectly capable of being an accessory." Darien kind of wished he'd thought that sentence through before saying it, but was still hard pressed not to smile at the look Hobbes shot him.

"Now, is not the time to be a smartass," Hobbes warned, as he shook his head. And Fawkes thought _his_ comments belonged on pillows. "Accessory might be about the only thing you never got caught doing."

"Hobbes, there are lots of things I never got caught doing." Darien grinned slyly. Sometimes telling the truth was more than worth it just for the reaction. Luckily Hobbes was prevented from saying a single word as Darien mounted the short flight steps, using his long legs to take them two at a time. He rang the doorbell just as Hobbes sidled up next to him.

An older man, who was in his late 60s at a guess, stared at them with more than a bit of suspicion as he opened the door. "Can I help you?"

Bobby pulled out his badge. "Agent Hobbes and my partner Agent Fawkes. We spoke on the phone earlier..."

"Of course, my apologies." Mr. Randall swung the door wide and gave them a bit of a smile as he waved them into his home. "Come on in. The missus has decided to use your visit as an excuse to cook up a storm, I hope you don't mind."

As if on cue, Darien's stomach rumbled and he ducked his head, looking sheepish.

"Got your appetite back, I take it?" Hobbes asked rhetorically. "No need to go to any trouble on our account, considering what we came here to ask about."

Mr. Randall led them into somewhat intimate sunroom that, based on the smells wafting in, was right off the kitchen. He waved towards the table that overlooked the backyard and poked his head through a nearby door. "They're here." Mere seconds later a woman, who was obviously his wife, bustled out with a tray holding a complete sterling silver coffee service.

Much to Hobbes' surprise Darien moved quickly to help, he took the tray and carried over to the table for her.

"Thank you. I'd forgotten how heavy that thing can be. Been a while since we've had guests." She brushed a stray hair off her face, tucking in behind her ear and gave Darien a welcoming smile. "Sit, young man. Let me at least pretend that I remember how to be a proper hostess."

Darien grinned and took the seat next to Hobbes. Once the coffee was poured, sipped, and proclaimed wonderful by both agents, an uncomfortable silence ensued. "Mr. and Mrs. Randall..."

"Why are you interested in Angie and... and the baby, now?" Mrs. Randall suddenly interrupted. "We did as we were asked and never said a thing to anyone."

Hobbes and Darien exchanged a look before Hobbes spoke up. "We are looking into Harrison Keller's past for... reasons we can't go into right now."

"William Mercherson and your daughter came up in connection," Darien finished. Then his curiosity got the better of him. "Why wouldn't you talk about it?"

This time the couple exchanged a look. "You don't know, do you?" Mr. Randall asked and when it was plain on the two men's faces that they had no idea what he was talking about he continued. "The three of them were... inseparable. Surprised a lot of us considering how different their backgrounds were, but they were good kids and... It was like they completed each other." He took a sip of his coffee before explaining in more detail. "Harrison was the rich kid. Daddy a big time attorney with all the money and power to go with it. Even as a kid Harrison could move in those higher circles and felt comfortable there. Angela was the typical girl-next-door; friendly, outgoing, and everyone liked her. William was often considered the outsider because his looks took after his mother's side of the family. You would never have known his dad's family had lived in these parts for generations the look was so strong, in fact, William's sister took after his father with blonde hair and blue eyes, her skin tone was the only real difference, being slightly darker." He paused shaking his head.

"They were a trio," Mrs. Randall added. "They were known as the Three Musketeers from about the fifth grade until college. Well, the summer before actually." She glanced over at her husband, who nodded slightly. "Everyone knew both boys were crazy for her, but even we were surprised when she chose William alone for her prom date. It was almost as if even they hadn't realized something more had happened between them until that moment."

"Harrison didn't handle it all that well. Don't misunderstand me, nothing seemed to change and they continued their plan to attend college together, but it was obvious there had been a shift in the group." A sigh escaped from Mr. Randall. "When Harrison decided to join William in government work we were all surprised, he'd always wanted to be a lawyer and go into politics. It happened about the same time Angie and William announced their engagement.

"He was jealous?" Darien guessed, figuring it was the most obvious conclusion.

Mrs. Randall poured more coffee into his cup; he hadn't even realized he'd emptied it. "Not so that you could tell. Seemed to support them. Was best man at their wedding."

"But?" Hobbes prompted, suspecting they knew something.

Mr. Randall shrugged. "There was never anything specific. Harrison and William, because of so many years of friendship, turned out to work real well together. William had a flair for undercover work, while Harrison called the shots from behind the scenes. They were eventually paired simply because they worked so very well together."

"Doing what? If you know, that is." Hobbes leaned forward in his seat, resting his forearms on the table even as Darien sat back doing his best to look casual, but Hobbes knew better, could see the tension and discomfort in his body and suspected it was only partially due to the headache he still had.

"Exactly? We have no idea. Even Angie didn't know for sure. Just that it was undercover work and that it took him away for months sometimes." A sad smile crossed Mrs. Randall's face. "But he always came home to her. Except that last time. It was so hard on her, especially since he had planned to..." She stopped, shaking her head

"Not retire, but stay stateside for a while. Do something less dangerous so that he could be there and help raise their daughter." Getting to his feet, Mr. Randall began to pace the width of the room. "If only he'd been able to say no to that last mission or whatever it was."

"What happened?" Darien kept himself composed, but he knew the signs that they were about to get hit by the unexpected.

"Angie was in D.C. then. William wasn't supposed to be leaving the country at all, but when she was about six months along he was ordered to go do... something, and he had no choice. Angie came back home and stayed with us for the rest of her preg..." He choked off the words, obviously the memories affecting him more than he'd thought they would.

"We found records that said she died in childbirth and that there was a daughter, but unnamed. We were wondering what happened to her?" Hobbes had to wonder at the confused looks on the faces of the couple.

"The baby died," Mrs. Randall said with confusion in her voice. "We buried her next to her mother."

Hobbes closed his eyes and rubbed them for a moment. "Huh?"

"Harrison showed up out of the blue when Angie was eight months along," Mr. Randall explained. "With the news that William was dead."

Both Hobbes and Darien looked at them blankly, considering they'd had the crap beat out of them the other evening by who they suspected was William Lee, this completely unexpected news that the man was dead threw them for the proverbial loop. "Dead?" 

"Yes, and Angie went into labor early because of the shock. There were complications and..." Mrs. Randall's voice became faint.

"The baby died minutes later, too young at a guess. We were so devastated that I'm afraid we just... dealt with things and didn't ask too many questions," Mr. Randall explained, his voice nearly as tight as his wife's. Moving to her side he sat and took her hand into his and tried to comfort her. "Even when the agents came and told us not to talk about William, Angie, or baby to anyone, we didn't think anything was odd. Still in shock I guess. Sides we knew most of William's work was classified so we figured it had to do with that." His brow wrinkled in consternation. "Are you saying it was something else?"

"We're not sure, but I promise we'll tell you what we can as soon as we know anything definite," Darien stated quietly. He ignored the quick glare Hobbes shot at him. As far as Darien was concerned the Randall's deserved to know as much of the truth as possible. It was just a matter of finding it.

***

A low groan of pain drew Graywolf up out of the pleasant doze the drone of the plane's engines had lured him into, and where he'd been trying not to think about everything that had gone wrong the last few days. He slowly opened his eyes to see Alyx folded over, the top of her head nearly pressed into the back of the seat in front of her. Her arms hanging down, with the palms pressed into the floor. She groaned again, but this time he was able to guess the cause as the muscles in her lower back visibly twitched, the cramp taking up her attention for the moment.

"Ah, Sil, you should have said something," Gray commented softly, since most of the other passengers were trying to sleep on this late flight back to D.C. "How bad?"

"Bad enough," she answered, her voice muffled do to her awkward position, which involved speaking directly towards the floor of the plane. She'd been fighting off this cramp for almost an hour now, but as she had known was inevitable, it had won, and dragged her up out of the state of numb endurance she had managed to force herself into. "You were trying to sleep. I didn't want to wake you."

Reaching out he gently, but with the firmness that was necessary, began to work the muscles of her lower back with his fingers. "So instead you make yourself suffer. Always smart." He avoided the bandaged area even though he knew that's where the cramp was probably centered. Neither of them wanted to deal with tearing it open, yet again, especially while 30 thousand feet in the air. After several minutes the muscles began to relax and Alyx did as well. A sigh escaping from her. 

"Well, to be honest the pain was a bit of a distraction from the being in the air thing." She sat up a bit, her forearms resting on her thighs, and turned to look at him. She spoke barely above a whisper, perhaps to give him the option of ignoring her question by virtue of having not heard her. "Talk to me, Gray. I want... _need_ to understand why you are so angry at me."

Gray's hands didn't even slow their movement, there was no reason to, and she was still in very rough shape no matter how well she tried to hide it. "Fawkes." He kept it simple neither wanting nor needing to go into any great detail. She would know and, though the people about them might be mostly asleep, there was still no reason to share their problems with their fellow travelers.

Alyx closed her eyes for a second, feeling truly worn. "You had no problems with him before you met him. What changed?"

Gray shook his head. How could he explain that when the man was across the country and rarely mentioned that is was easy to forget that he even existed. To delude himself into thinking Alyx was free from entanglements, free from outside commitments. Free to be with him.

Alyx decided to not prevaricate and struck directly at the heart of the matter. "Gray, did you sleep with all, or for that matter, any of your other partners?"

His hands did freeze in place at those words and he forced himself to quell the sudden feeling of -- disgust wasn't quite right, but it was akin -- that washed over him. He was no homophobe, but he wasn't entirely sure how to react to her question emotionally. "No, of course not."

Alyx just raised one delicate eyebrow as she watched his reactions, being careful not to probe beyond what she was already picking up from him.

"Damn it, Sil, that's not the same. They were... And you are..." His inability to complete a sentence gave away how flustered her comment had made him.

"Yes, Gray. It _is_ the same. I'm your partner. You've simply chosen to perceive a difference because I'm female." Her voice was soft and, because of that, her words had more impact that they, perhaps, otherwise would have.

Gray huffed and leaned back in his seat contemplating, carefully, the quite accurate observation she had just imparted to him. But after a moment of mutual silence he latched onto the one thing that would drive his point home. "Fawkes was your partner," he hissed.

Alyx should have known that was coming, but was still more than a little hurt by the comment. Still, she screwed up her courage and faced the issue head on. "Yes, he was. And it doesn't matter as my situation was completely different."

"Different," Gray sneered. "You slept with your partner. With a... man you knew to be less than worthy of you. Yes, I can definitely see that it was different." He paused for a moment his anger rising even further. "Or was it just because of the Quick ... his talent. Only he's good enough and to hell with his past?"

She shook her head, not sure how to turn his anger towards something more productive. Something that might get them back on some sort of solid footing with each other instead of this very slippery slope they could easily fall off of. This... disagreement was going to tear everything they had built apart if they couldn't resolve it and soon. Sitting up, she carefully leaned back against the seat and met his eyes.

"Gray, I was a very different person then. My control was shaky at best, my situation, and my hold on life even shakier. Darien... well, he was a island of light on a sea of darkness." Alyx grimaced at her sudden attack of prose. "His past didn't matter. Hell, in many ways _he_ didn't matter."

"Sil, you're not making a bit of sense," Gray told her in confusion and frustration. Her flowery words in reference to Fawkes throwing him off and dampening the anger.

"You're lucky I ever do some days," she muttered more to herself than him. "Look, my records to the contrary, I was not _hired_ by the Agency and my leave of absence was... forced upon me, even though it was ultimately my choice to leave. I became very ill, Gray, an illness directly related to my abilities." Alyx knew she would have to skirt around many issues, as it was not yet time for Gray to know some things. Not with the problem of Darien still lying between them like an armed bomb ready to go off at any moment. "In truth, I never wanted this life, but I learned to live with it, learned that it was inevitable. And, sadly enough, have learned it's a necessity." Gray sat there, silent and, though she was sorely tempted, she didn't use her abilities to show him what she had been through as she easily could have. Right now, that would do far more harm to them, to their relationship, than good. "I damn near died, Gray."

"What does this have to do with Fawkes?" Gray asked in total exasperation. Near as he could tell she was trying to change the subject, to divert his attention away from the fact that she chose a relationship with Fawkes, over the possibility of one with him. 

"Everything. And... nothing." She shook her head not sure how to make him understand. "He showed me I could care again, that I didn't have to be afraid. Back then I was damn dangerous and was just as likely to hurt friend ? innocents – as foe because my control was so bad. And yet watching Darien fight with his own demons taught me I could deal and _live _with mine. Live being the key word." She arched for a moment, her back still unhappy for having been in the same position for so long, and because it was a convenient way to avoid seeing his reaction to her words. When she had settled she continued, "I cared about him, for him, hell, slept with him long before I fell in love with him." She folded over and set her hands on the floor to complete the stretch. Gray's massage, short as it had been, had helped loosen things up enough for now.

"That doesn't change who or what he is, Sil. And he's not good enough for you. Never will be." Gray had heard her words, but didn't want to believe them, didn't want to look deeper into the meaning of them, to admit that this bright beautiful creature beside him could ever fall so low as to not want to live.

Alyx sighed and slowly sat up, drawing up one leg she turned in her seat to face him. "Gray, when I was just starting out with the Agency a man I now trust very much told me something important." Alyx paused wanting to get this just right, her tone bland, calm, and totally honest. "He told me, '_I never met that other person, just the one sitting here with me, and it's this one I'm partnered with. That's all that matters to me_.' It made a huge difference in my relationships with those at the Agency, even if it still took months for it to show."

"And you think I should do this for Fawkes?" When Alyx made no comment he lowered his voice and snarled, "He's a thief and a con, Sil. Why should I trust him? Why should I give him the benefit of the doubt?"

"Because you're letting words on a piece of paper color your judgement. Don't look at who he was. See who he _is_." She held herself very still, knowing that one word too many, or the wrong one, would make him close up and ignore everything she said after. "Look at Bobby. He'd be the first to extol you with stories of Darien at his first year with the Agency." She smiled wryly and shook her head slowly. "It was not a match made in heaven by any stretch of the imagination. Yet today he trusts Darien with his life and is his partner... more he's his friend." When Gray remained quiet she set a hand lightly on his forearm. "Everyone has things in their past they regret. You pay your dues and move on. Trust me when I say Darien has more than paid his."

"Right. A lifer who got a get out of jail free card. How is that paying his dues?" Gray's voice was a harsh whisper, her words having indeed made an impact, one that caused him to become angry again for other, even more confusing, reasons.

"Do you really think the... his talent comes without a price? Mine certainly doesn't. You saw him earlier today. He's suffered far, far worse and all for the glory of the Agency. Suffered and lost and hurt in ways you can't imagine all in the name of the god damned greater good." Alyx closed her eyes as bone deep exhaustion swept over her. She wouldn't force this on him, couldn't in all good conscience. He had to make the choice. "Look, Gray, you're my partner and you're swiftly becoming a friend, but if you can't deal with Darien then..." She took a deep breath and released it slowly, finding it far harder to say the words than just think about them. "Then after this mission maybe you should go to Cavanaugh and request reassignment."

Gray just stared at Alyx as her words hung in front of him, refusing to sink in. The hand that had been resting on his arm moved away, leaving a cold spot where seconds before her warmth had been, to grasp the pendant she'd been wearing the last month and a half and only now did he realize it must have been a gift from him. From Fawkes. She was willing to break up their unit over this, for that's what it would amount to. His leaving, not that he had ever contemplated it, would leave a void in the unit to be filled and then downtime as the new member adjusted, which would cause the unit to be off balance for possibly months. From that standpoint alone he couldn't do it, not over this. "Sil..."

"Xavier..." It was obvious she had startled him by using his first name, since she used it so rarely. "If you're unhappy I will know and it will throw me off. This has to be settled one way or another by the time we've completed this mission. Just think about what I've said for now. Please."

He saw the exhaustion in her eyes, in her posture, and sighed softly, knowing she was right about several things. He forced himself to relax, to push away the residual anger and discontent in order to deal with the now. "All right, I will, but later, Right now you need to rest." When she was about to complain he set a finger over her lips to stop her. "I know you won't be able to sleep, but you can still relax, conserve some energy, and heal." He moved the arm dividing the two first class seats out of the way and cautiously drew her closer. 

She grumbled, but didn't fight him, knowing his presence, even with the current disagreement still between them, would be a comfort and help ease her mind. "Thank you, Xavier."

"You're welcome. Now rest or I'll be forced to drug you." One hand wandered to her lower back to work the muscles some more, while the other took up the task of holding his chin as he looked out the window at the moonlit clouds passing below them.


	10. Chapter 10

***10***

When they arrived at the nondescript home in the small, and ironically named, town of Jessup a little after noon they pulled into the driveway and around the back where the detached garage was located to park beside a late model Lexus. Gray, had followed the requests to the letter and both of them were currently unarmed and without their badges, their weapons and IDs in the secure case in the cargo area of the Hummer. They had taken enough time to stop by their respective homes and freshening up before making the drive, but no more than that. They hadn't even taken the time to unpack, just transferred the bags and headed out, picking up a late breakfast en route. They had little time to waste and no interest in being stopped by Keller, Franklin, or their hired guns.

Exiting the car they followed the neat stone pathway that had been cleared of snow to the side of the house and climbed the short flight of stairs to the entrance at the rear of the house. Gray opened the wooden screen door and knocked on the far more solid one behind it.

They waited no more than a few seconds for the sound of locks being disengaged and the door itself swinging open to reveal an older gentleman, somewhere in his mid-sixties at an educated guess, with salt and pepper hair that was beginning to lean far more towards the salt. He stood quite a bit shorter than Gray, though still far taller than Alyx, maybe just shy six foot.

The frown he wore brightened to a smile when he recognized Graywolf. "Xavier, good to see you." He swung the door wide and waved them inside.

"I wish it were under better circumstances," Gray said in all honesty as they were led through the mudroom, where they divested themselves of their heavy winter coats, down the hall, past the kitchen, and into the living room.

"And who is this dainty little one beside you?" the man asked with a smile that was touched with just a hint of suspicion as he waved them towards the various pieces of furniture that were designed to be sat upon.

Alyx grinned as Gray shook his head. "My partner, Alyx Silver."

The stranger moved to stand in front of her, his hand extended to be shaken and which she took with only the tiniest hint of reluctance. She had forgotten to wear her gloves; not expecting to be shaking hands with a perfect stranger. She saw Gray shift forward, prepared to intervene and draw the man's attention away, but Alyx gave her head a small shake and he held his place. She suspected this was a test of sorts and that this man knew far more than appearances would suggest.

The man's grasp was firm and revealed little more than, while retired, he was still strong and confident. Alyx kept her emotions tightly wrapped inside and by some miracle she did not get a head full of him, much to her relief. In fact, she was only getting the vaguest of impressions from him beyond the standard information she always picked up, which suggested the man had a very organized and controlled mind.

"So, you are the one causing such a stir in D.C. Not quite what I was expecting." He released her hand and looked at Gray. "She half as good as the rumors claim?" 

The look on Gray's face was priceless, a classic Kodak moment of stunned disbelief that lasted no more than an instant, but the man had caught it and broke into a wide grin.

"I may not be in the biz any more, but that doesn't mean I don't keep up on what's going on." He turned back to Alyx. "I'm..."

"Tomas Giovanni," Alyx finished, making him snap his mouth shut in surprise.

"Sil?" Even Gray was curious how she had known that.

She shrugged and, mindful of her back, took a seat on one of the thickly cushioned leather chairs. "I did my research when I joined. You worked intel as a handler for a good decade, was promoted to the position Cavanaugh now holds in the late 70s and retired, early, but with full pension, a little over 10 years ago." Alyx rattled this off fairly quickly and blinked a couple times when done to reconnect.

Tomas sat down on the couch, kitty-corner from her. "Photographic memory?" He'd seen it a couple times before, but never with recall quite this fast. He had the feeling she had his full, public, dossier in that mind of hers.

"Better," Gray answered as he moved up behind her. "They haven't invented a name for what she can do... yet."

"Full recall, huh?" 

Alyx nodded, as it was as close a description of what she could that was out there today.

Tomas was tempted to ask an easy dozen questions about how she handled all the data, but refrained. Hopefully, he'd get another chance to discuss it with her when they weren't looking to pick his brain for information. "Sit, Gray. I have no interest in craning my neck up to look at you."

Gray chuckled and moved to the other end of the couch, settling himself after taking a moment to subtly survey the room.

"It's clean, Gray." 

Alyx spoke so softly that Tomas almost didn't hear her and even then it took the words a moment to sink in. It was obvious that the rumors and small truths he'd come across were just the tip of the iceberg. "So what is it you need?"

"Harrison Keller." Gray knew the name would cause a reaction, it just didn't cause the one he was expecting.

Tomas leaned back into the cushions of the couch laughing. Alyx and Gray exchanged a look that was laden with questions and confusion. "May I ask why you find this so amusing?" Alyx inquired once the laughter had died down a bit.

"Keller is dangerous, as I imagine you are beginning to learn." A few remaining chortles escaped before he completely got a hold of himself. "What put you on his tail, those assassination threats'?"

"Yes," Gray responded, even more surprised than Alyx by his friend's reaction. "Cavanaugh assigned us to the special task force."

"Franklin's in charge right? Lawrence Franklin?" Tomas' tone had turned very serious and he responded to Alyx's nod of confirmation with a frown. "Old crony of Keller's. Been in his pocket for years."

Gray wasn't sure how to react to this information. "What went on, Tomas? Exactly how were Keller and Lee connected?"

"You don't know?" Tomas made it sound like the information was easily accessible and coming to him should have been completely unnecessary.

"Their full CIA records are missing and any other information is sketchy," Alyx offered up for inspection. "We found some info in Lincoln, but not nearly enough to fill in all the holes."

"So you found the connection between Lee, Keller, and Randall." He shook his head in evident dismay. "Damn, what a mess that was."

"Mr. Giovanni..."

"Call me Tomas, please. If only to feed an old man's ego to have such a pretty young thing calling him by his first name." He gave her a grin, but wasn't surprised when he achieved nothing more than a slight quirk to her lips. All business, she was; not surprising Lauren took notice of her.

"Tomas, we need details on their working relationship. We know they were in the CIA at the same time, but not much more." Alyx detailed the little they knew.

Tomas rubbed his face in his hands for a moment. "There was a time, not all that long ago, I would have said to drop it. To let the dead rest and to stay as far away from Keller as you can, but not now. I have the feeling you," He looked right at Alyx, "would not give up, and for the first time I think someone might actually be able to face down Keller and win." He looked from one partner to the other, not intentionally dragging it out, but to give them the chance to back away from this. "Keller was Lee's handler. And, at the time, they were the best."

Alyx turned inwards for a moment searching her memory. "You trained him. Didn't you?"

Tomas just barely kept from voicing his surprise. "Yes. My partner and I were chosen to ... shepherd the pair. Pretty standard. But they blew the lid off the scale. They ran more successful missions in their years, than any other three teams combined."

Gray shifted to lean forward a bit. "So what happened?"

"Life." Tomas turned to look at the larger man. "And death."

"Angela," Alyx guessed.

It was with a look of complete confusion that Tomas turned back to her. "No, William."

"Huh?" Gray perfectly summed up both his and Alyx's feelings in that one word.

"William died on his last mission," Tomas explained.

Alyx shook her head. "That makes no sense. Even what's left of his file only lists him as MIA." She didn't even consider mentioning the fact that they had been attacked by a group that they believed included Lee.

"Technically true. Outside sources were never able to confirm. No body." He could tell neither of the agents was satisfied with the answer. "Look, the whole situation was touchy. We had a mission come up that needed the best, but by then Lee was already on desk duty, his wife pregnant. He was assigned to train replacements; agents to take his place doing deep cover work in China."

"Then what happened?" Gray asked with a hint of dread in his voice.

"Keller came to me. I was in charge of that section at the time. And he had a very compelling argument for sending Lee instead of any of others that had been trained. I agreed and, with some reluctance, ordered Lee on the assignment." The regret in his voice was plain to both Alyx and Gray, but they didn't comment on it, remaining stoically silent in hopes he would continue. "The assignment was supposed to last three months, but after just six weeks Keller came to me with information that suggested Lee had been discovered, his cover blown, and that he'd been interrogated and killed."

"And you took his word for it?" Gray tone was surprisingly condescending.

"Of course not," Tomas snapped. "We did everything we could to verify it and as far as any of us could tell Keller's intel was completely valid and accurate."

"So when did you become suspicious of him?" Alyx asked in a soft voice.

Tomas shook his head. "It's not that simple. Still isn't. He's good, he's patient and he's willing to take the long view to further his goals. Only a few of us suspect anything and we have less evidence. I made sure Cavanaugh was aware of the situation when I... was encouraged to take early retirement."

"Keller?" Even Gray could catch on to the running theme of this discussion. 

A shrug was the response. "Probably." He tapped a finger on the arm of the couch for a moment. "Whose orders are you following on this mission? Franklin or Cavanaugh?"

"Franklin," Gray answered the same time Alyx said, "Cavanaugh."

Gray snapped his head around to stare at her. "Orders Gray. You weren't to know. My rep can handle the bruising, she wanted yours safe."

"Damn it, Sil, no excuse," Gray all but snarled at her. The fact that she'd been keeping yet another secret from him, one that directly involved them and this mission caused black anger to settle in his gut.

"Xavier, you know better than that," Tomas admonished. Somewhere along the way he'd figured out that not only was the young woman sitting before him far older than her appearance decried, but that she was also senior of the pairing. "I've kept any number of secrets over the years from friends, family, and, yes, even from my partners. As have you." He gave Gray a knowing look that made the man pale slightly.

"Tomas..." Gray paused and took a deep breath. Tomas was right. She wasn't intentionally keeping secrets, not if it was orders from Cavanaugh. And based on his comments Cavanaugh had been aware of the Keller problem for a while now, not surprising the "Dragon Lady" had put Sil on the man's tail. At least now he understood why she had been ignoring Franklin's orders. She'd had her own to follow. Her turned to see her watching him, her gaze calm and unruffled. His obvious bad mood did not appear to affect her in the least. Hell, by this point she was probably getting used to him being angry with her and took it for granted. That was not how he wanted their partnership to be.

"What happened after Lee was considered MIA?" Alyx asked while still watching Gray.

Thankful the discussion had been drawn away from the current track, Tomas answered, "He left. Quit. Blamed himself to all appearances. Went back home to Lincoln from what I recall, why?"

"When did he get married?" she prompted.

"Huh. Oddly enough within months he was back in D.C. with a new bride and child." He was thinking about it now, remembering, even with all the confusion and work he still had to do, that he'd thought it strange Keller had been dating with no one's knowledge. And the fact that she'd been pregnant... Looking back, it was more than just odd, it was completely wrong. "What do you know?"

"Know? Not nearly enough," Gray told him now that he had calmed. His suspicions even more aroused with this news. "We know Angela Randall is dead. We know she had a daughter. And we know we were attacked twice while trying to find that information."

"Attacked?" Tomas sounded appropriately shocked.

"That's not all we know, Gray. Suspect, anyway." She met Tomas' calm blue eyes. "We think Lee is alive."

"Damn." Tomas pushed himself to his feet and began to pace the room. "Why? Why do you think he's alive?"

"The first group that attacked us spoke Chinese, fluently," Alyx answered with a solemn expression. "We're missing something here. Something obvious, but damn me if I can figure out what."

"You will. I'm quite certain of that. Keep following the trail. If Lee is alive and the source of the threats against Keller, he won't move 'til he's ready. If that was him in Lincoln, then he's looking for something and Keller may only be secondary." Tomas shook his head, not sure of anything anymore. "Have you spoken to Cavanaugh recently?"

Alyx shook her head. "Been keeping moving and trying to draw Keller's goons away from the agents that were helping us."

"Then you need to." He waved his hand at her. "Come on, you can use my secure line, while Gray and I toss about some ideas for what to do next."

Alyx got to her feet a bit stiffly and walked in the direction Tomas pointed and soon found herself deep in discussion with Cavanaugh, alone.

Tomas found Gray in the kitchen making a pot a coffee. By the scent it was from the really expensive stash. "So you still remember where everything is, good. How is Zach doing these days? Still Tribal Attorney?"

"Yes, and just as much of a badass as ever. You'd be proud." Gray sat on one of chairs that stood by the small breakfast table. 

"Good, hate to think he'd gone soft." Tomas reached into a cabinet and pulled out mugs, which he set on the counter. "So, how do you like having a female partner?"

Gray groaned and turned away. "That is a very loaded question."

"I got that impression. I had similar problems with my first female partner. And my second." Tomas watched as Gray stiffened and got to his feet with a sudden need to locate the sugar bowl and the silverware drawer. 

"Is it that obvious?" Gray asked around a sigh.

"No." Tomas leaned back in the chair and stretched out his legs. "I'm betting she didn't notice, though I suspect she knows about it now." Gray's head whipped about followed by the rest of his body to stare at his friend. "Just don't mistake it for more than it is."

"And what makes you think it isn't more?" Gray sounded tired, tired of this discussion, tired of being told what he felt was not what he was feeling, tired of everyone telling him he was wrong.

"'Cause I've been there, Gray. And screwed up two damn good partnerships because I allowed myself to cross that line. Yeah, I cared about them, loved them a bit maybe, but I wasn't _in love_ with them." He watched Gray's look go completely blank, essentially refusing to hear another word. Just like his uncle used to do. "If you care about her in the least, then let it rest. Be what she needs the most ? her partner. If she's half the miracle I believe she is, she's going to need that far, _far_ more than a lover."

"You have no idea what she is, and trust me when I say you don't want to know." Gray shoved away from the counter, his hands curling into fists for a moment.

"Don't do this again, Gray." He got to his feet and moved to stand next to the young man. "You lost Shari because you couldn't take that step back."

Gray tensed and for several minutes as he fought the urge to scream in total frustration, but the words sank in, albeit slowly. And they, along with other things that had been said by Hobbes, Sil, and, yes, even Fawkes, much as he hated to admit it even to just himself, were beginning to make sense. 

A soft voice startled both men.

"Shush-yahz, is everything all right?" Alyx stood just in the doorway, not wanting to intrude if they were discussing something private.

"Tsidi, yes, everything is fine." Gray looked at her, seeing _her_ for the first time since they had met four months ago. "Cavanaugh up to date?" He went to her and urged her into the kitchen and slid out a chair for her to sit in. Perhaps too much formality, but he could tell she was tired and in pain.

Yeah, and we're still to follow her orders." Alyx sighed, the conversation had been interesting and enlightening. "They torched the records building in Lincoln."

"What?" Tomas asked, sounding about as stunned as Gray suddenly felt. "Why?"

"To cover whatever they took? To keep us from tracking down the info? To keep Lee from the truth? Who knows?" Alyx rubbed the bridge of her nose with one hand. "Is that coffee I smell?" She failed to mention she'd caught the scent almost from the instant the beans had exposed to the air.

"As a matter of fact, I've dipped into my quality stash just for this occasion," Tomas commented with a wink to Graywolf, as he crossed the room and proceeded to fill the mugs. It was enough to cover his reaction to the news of exactly how far Keller would go.

"You had no way of knowing this would happen." He spun about at her quiet words. "You said yourself he was good."

"Not good enough, it appears. Not with the likes of you about." Tomas both wanted to know and was terrified to learn how she had known what thinking and feeling.

Alyx shook her head. "The trail has always been there, but until now there was no reason to go ambling down it. No one brave, or, far more likely, foolish enough to see where the breadcrumbs led." She took the proffered cup and sipped at it. "Oh, this is wonderful. Thank you, Tomas."

"You're welcome, my dear." He handed Gray his cup. "Where do you go from here?"

Gray set the cup Tomas had handed to him on the table, thinking. "Back to D.C., I suppose. See if we can dig into Keller there." It wasn't the best of plans, far from it, in fact, but Keller was currently in D.C. and that's where Lee, if it was Lee and he wasn't really dead as Tomas had told them, would be going eventually.

"Dangerous. Keller has... friends in high places," Tomas warned, as he joined them at the table.

"He doesn't have Sil," Gray said with confidence.

"You can't get past his security, physical or electronic. It would have been done prior to this if it could be." Tomas knew they most likely wouldn't listen, but he had to give them what warnings he could.

Alyx chortled. "No worries, Tomas. They'll never see me coming."


	11. Chapter 11

*11*

They sat about the kitchen table for an hour or so, talking about far less distasteful subjects. The connection between the two men ? Graywolf's Uncle Zach having worked with Tomas in the CIA ? coming to light and making Tomas' willingness to reveal classified information to them easier for Alyx to understand. Gray had known the man for about 20 years at this point and both of the older men's career choices had been instrumental in Gray's decision to study law and go into CIA himself. It was just a small part of who he was, but to Alyx, a valuable part. She stayed quiet for the most part, allowing the two men the time to get reacquainted, share stories and news about their families and lives. 

She was laughing merrily at one of the more embarrassing tales of Gray's youth, her partner blustering and blushing, Tomas' eyes twinkling with mischief, when Alyx's cell phone went off, startling her. Removing the slim device from her pocket she answered it with a sprightly, "Silver." It took mere seconds for her smile to fade. Getting to her feet she stepped out of the room to gain some small measure of privacy for the call. 

Gray saw her pale and knew whatever had happened was bad. Excusing himself, he followed her back out to the living room where she stood with one had rubbing her cheek and looking just about as upset as he had ever seen her. His first thought, based on her reaction, was that something must have happened to Fawkes, which inspired a major battle of mixed emotions within him. He pushed it all aside, until he actually knew what was going on; there was little point in speculating, or enjoying the potential of Fawkes being off the playing field, since he full well knew how devastating news of that nature would be to her.

"I'll be there as soon as I can." She paused, listening. "She'll have to deal. She knows my priorities on this matter." At this pause irritation crawled across he features. She caught Gray's concerned look as well as his emotions and turned away from him. "Damn it, she has most of the data already and I'll transfer the details later. No, I will _not_ stay away."

The anger and frustration that tinged her words made Gray move closer and rest a hand on her shoulder. "Sil?"

She raised a finger, a shorthand request for him to wait. "I'll be there by this evening.... Yes. Of course." She snapped the phone shut and slumped down for a second before straightening. "Gray, I have a bit of a situation..."

"Miss Silver, is there anything I can help with?" Tomas made his presence known.

"Only if you're willing to drive Gray back to D.C.," she stated, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"If necessary, of course," Tomas told her truthfully.

"Sil, what the hell is going on?" Gray wasn't about to go anywhere without finding out what that phone call was about.

"I've a bit of an emergency with... that special project of mine. I... I have to go," Alyx stammered with more than a trace of discomfort for having to deceive him. "Tomas, thank you for your help and hospitality. I owe you a favor."

Tomas shook his head. "No, my dear, you don't. This is something I should have dealt with years ago; perhaps my conscience will finally be eased on the matter." He escorted her back to the mudroom and helped her put her coat on while a stunned Gray watched. It wasn't until she was outside and moving to the back of the Hummer to remove Gray's bags that he realized she really was leaving. Leaving him behind.

"Sil, what the hell? You're just going to run off and leave me here?" Gray couldn't decide whether to be angry, insulted or hurt and ended up being all three at once.

She froze, her jaw clenching. "The job, Gray. Last I checked there was a job to be done and you are perfectly capable of handling some research on your own. You have far more and far friendlier contacts than I do in D.C. You can try Duke Montgomery in IAD, use my name, he should talk to you." 

"Alyx, I don't know... anything obviously, but some _project_ would not make you this upset. The mission is being handled. Keller is swamped with bodyguards and the city crawling with agents on the lookout for Lee, or whoever. If Cavanaugh can deal with you taking off, she can deal with both of us doing so." Shifting quickly he stepped beside her and set a hand over the one she had on the handle of his bag. "I'm sorry for allowing my distrust of Fawkes to spill over on to you. I was wrong about that." When she did nothing, said nothing, he tried a different tack. "You said you trusted me, don't you think its about time you trusted me with this."

"Damn it, Gray, it's not that simple. You have no understanding of whats involved. And I'm still not sure you should." Alyx turned slightly, fighting the conflicting emotions running through her, fighting the pull of two necessities, two loyalties that she felt still needed to be separate. "I don't want to fight about this, don't have time to, I _need_ to go." Though her temper was quickly rising she kept it reined in. "Gray..." Was the only warning she gave.

He shook his head. "Sil there is no way you can drive several hours hurt like you are." When she glared, her eyes flashing with barely restrained anger, he gently removed her hand from the bag and returned it to its place in the cargo area. "You said you'd be ... wherever by dinner. That's a five, six-hour drive. You didn't manage the plane flight without problems. Besides, Cavanaugh would have my hide if I allowed you to go off on your own."

Alyx wanted to scream with frustration even though she knew he was right. "Hell," she cursed softly. "All right, but you have to promise me you will tell no one ? and I do mean no one."

"Sil, just tell me what's going on." With gentle hands he got her away from the rear of the vehicle and shut the cargo door.

"Just promise me, Gray, or I swear I'll leave your ass sitting right here." Alyx was adamant; there was no way she'd take him along, even if she did need the help, unless he made this promise.

"All right. All right. I promise I won't tell a soul about... whatever this is," he snapped out in exasperation. "Satisfied?" Oh yeah, he was more than a little ticked off at this point. Too many secrets from someone who proclaimed trust, who proclaimed friendship, who he was supposed to keep safe. How the hell was he supposed to do that if she kept him in the dark about things that were important to her?

She eyed him, debating seriously telling him to sod off. Six hours with him in a bad mood was going to be enough of a strain. She knew when they arrived he was going to go thermonuclear on her and she wasn't quite sure she wanted, or could deal with it. Not on top of everything else.

"Just drive. I'll explain what I can, the rest will have to wait 'til we arrive." She turned away from him to see Tomas come bounding around the corner of the house lugging a thermos and a picnic basket.

"Take these. I have the feeling you don't want to stop unless necessary." He handed the items to her, which she accepted with no small amount of surprise.

"Tomas, you've done more than enough already." Here she was being about as rude as possible after he'd put himself to great risk to help them and now... and now he was being kind just because.

"This? This is nothing. Some bread, meat and cheese to hold you over 'til you arrive. Oh, and some coffee." He reached around her and opened the door for her. "Go, my dear. Gray will return the items later." He lowered his voice to a whisper so only she would hear. "Some things are far more important than saving the world."

"Tomas, how?" she asked, eyeing the man warily, wondering exactly what he knew and how he had come about the information. 

"I told you I've kept up on things. And no, I don't _know_, but I, among others, have suspicions about that special project' of yours, so be very careful." Tomas gave her a small nod at the questioning look in her eyes, and he was dismayed when she turned slightly paler than she already was. For a moment he regretted mentioning his hunch to her, but knew that this, if the suspicions that had been following her name were true, was something she _needed_ to know. There would be far more than just her at risk if that truth were to be revealed to certain people.

"Thank you." She slid into the passenger seat and set the basket and thermos at her feet then turned back to Tomas. "Some secrets have to be kept secret, Tomas, and I'll do anything to keep this one. Understand?"

The threat was obvious, though it seemed to not be aimed directly at him. "Perfectly. Perhaps some misinformation? From a trusted source?"

Alyx hid her surprise far better this time and reached out to set her hand upon his. This time she got that head full of information and wasn't shocked by it; was even prepared for it. He did indeed know far more than he was telling her, but she also knew he was firmly on her side. He had learned, much as she had known for some time, there were several factions in the government with very different motives when it came to living weapons such as herself and Darien. Cavanaugh and her superiors were firmly on the _good _side in the matter, but there were others. Others like those in the CIA who'd hired Marcus Heilburg and kidnapped her daughter who were on the _bad_ side and saw them as nothing but tools to be studied, used and thrown away when broken. Others like those Jess must have been associated with, others like the SWRB who tried, and failed, to use Darien to their advantage before having things blow up in their faces ? literally. In fact, the loss of one facility barely slowed them down and they'd already rebuilt much of the work now that the new director was in place.

Tomas seemed to understand what was going on and was using it to his advantage by relaying the potential dangers via this far more subtle method that would leave no trail. "Only if it can be done in safety. I don't need any others at risk because of me." She released his hand and gave him a wry smile. "I've too much responsibility to shoulder as it is."

"My dear, I promise you I have not forgotten subtlety or how to watch my own ass." He was relieved to see her smile at his comment. He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder he then stood and shut the door to see Graywolf standing at the driver's side, waiting. 

"Xavier, take good care of her, and think about what I said." The reminder caused Gray's jaw to tighten for a moment. "I'll speak to you in a few weeks."

"Yes, you will," Gray agreed. "And I _will_ think about it." He didn't wait for any response and climbed into the Hummer and started the engine. He didn't even give Tomas a polite wave as Alyx did when they backed out of the driveway. They remained silent until back on the main road heading towards the highway. "Where to, Sil?"

"North. Rhode Island," Alyx told him and waited for the questions to come, but he was silent. "Try to avoid toll roads where you can, but other than that just make the best time you are able to."

It wasn't until they were on the highway, heading north that Gray was finally able to settle a few stray and confused thoughts enough to speak. "This is your commute? Twice or more a week? Why not fly?"

Alyx was more than a little relieved that his first question was one she felt safe in answering. "Flying leaves too obvious a trail. Too many pieces of data that can connect back to me," she explained in a soft voice. "I've been very careful, but apparently not careful enough."

"And you've kept this a big secret, why exactly?" Gray was careful to keep his voice neutral, trying to keep the anger from rising yet again.

She sighed. "You'll see for yourself soon enough." His fingers tightened on the steering wheel until the knuckles turned white, evidence that her avoidance of his question was less than satisfactory. "Gray, if I explain all now, it'll make this a very long and uncomfortable ride for both of us. I know you're angry, again, and confused, but I am not in the mood for a six-hour argument over this. You talked me into letting you come. To help," she amended. "Don't make me regret that."

The tone of her voice convinced him that she meant every word. "Fine."

It was the last word spoken for several hours.

Since making their way through the awful New York rush hour traffic things had been going fairly smooth. It was a good thing Graywolf had insisted on a pit stop before tackling the Jersey Tunnel as they got caught in there for almost an hour. Alyx hadn't wanted to take a break, her mind focused on getting home, but he'd seen all the signs of her back getting ready to cramp up and had gently reminded her she was not at 100 percent. 

He'd been forced to spend 10 minutes cajoling her out of the vehicle even after they had pulled into the rest area, and then even more to convince her to do some stretches. The half an hour they spent was well worth it, in his opinion as her mood improved dramatically, especially after they dug in to the picnic basket to find far more than the little meat and cheese Tomas had claimed to have packed up hurriedly. It was a veritable feast, and with the addition of the coffee dang near heaven for the two of them.

Alyx, however, gave him a distinct reminder of her hurry, when he found himself fumbling for the keys; the Hummer seemingly started itself. Gray realized that she could have taken off at any time and wondered how he kept managing to forget the all the little things she could do. 

And the thought had indeed crossed her mind to take off while he stood next to her locked door trying to get her out of the vehicle, all the while her back screaming in agreement with Gray. It was only through sheer stubbornness that she'd remained sitting as long as she had. Once on the road again she called Mikey to let him know that were running a bit late and only avoided another disagreement about her heading home, by hanging up on him.

The drive had given Gray time to mull Tomas' words and the memory of what had transpired a few years ago between himself and Shari. Gray had come to the tentative conclusion that he might... just might be in the wrong. That he was seeing more in the relationship because she was female, his partner, and a friend. Though the friend part had snuck up on him so slowly he hadn't noticed until now. His irritation had waned and a tentative need to explain things to her was making itself known. "Sil..."

Her phone ringing interrupted him. Alyx snapped it open, expecting it to be Mike, and so was rather surprised to hear Darien's tinny voice coming out of the small speaker. 

"_We've got info and need to share. Where do ya wanna meet_? _Your place in D.C_.?" Darien asked right off the bat.

"Crap," Alyx muttered under her breath. Not that she'd forgotten the two men or the need to exchange info, but her mind had definitely been focused on other things for the last few hours. "Uh, there was a bit of a snag. Can you meet us in Newport?"

"_The house_? _Is everything okay_?" The concern in his voice was clear and unmistakable. 

"'Okay' is debatable, but it was nothing unexpected. I just need to be there." Alyx was careful to avoid direct mention of the situation.

She could hear Darien relaying the information to Bobby and his muffled, "_Not a prob_."

"_You heard the loud-mouth, I'm sure_," Darien commented over the top of Bobby's, "_Hey_!" of indignation. "_We're heading back towards Lincoln now, anything else we should check into while here_?"

"Darien, they burned down the records building. There _is_ no other source." The audible sound of Darien sucking in a breath in reaction was not surprising. 

Neither was Bobby's proclamation of "_Shit_," once Darien had passed the rather shocking news. 

"Just grab your gear and go. Use the special account and do your best to cover your trail." She closed her eyes and sighed. "Sorry, force of habit."

Darien managed a chuckle. "_You know me. If you don't keep pounding in the instructions I'll never remember them_. _It'll be a few hours at best_."

"I know. Just call with the flight info and someone will meet you. Time doesn't matter, you know that." There wasn't much else to say. "Watch your backs."

"_Always_." His voice dropped to a raw-sounding emotion laden whisper. "_He'll be fine, Chele_." Making it plain he'd figured out the cause of her distress and the sudden need to run home, mission or no. 

"I know," Her voice was nearly as choked, "but I still have to be there."

Bobby's voice was suddenly perfectly clear, having either taken the phone from Darien or had him hold it up to his ear. "_Kid, on this occasion I agree_. _Let the other mooks worry about Keller_. _We have our own leads to follow_. _Right_?"

"Yes, Bobby, and Cavanaugh is reasonably up to date. We can pretty much ignore Franklin's orders at this point." She sucked in a breath and blew it out slowly. "We have some major stunners to lay on you."

"_Same here, kid_. _We'll try and be there by morning_." The phone was shifted and then Darien's voice returned. 

"_You gonna make it_?"

"Have to. No choice in that. See you when you get in." Alyx knew she had to get off the phone just based on the waves of emotion coming off of Gray. Just hearing her side of the conversation had been enough to take his improved mood and drop it right back down to the basement.

Darien had other ideas. "_How'd Gray handle you taking off_?"

"He didn't, Dare, he's driving," Alyx told him in a tiny voice.

"_Oh_. _Well, that should make things interesting, anyway_," Darien commented in about as dry a voice as he could manage.

"Very. Now get moving. We still have a lot of work to do even with this side trip." At least she'd been able to smile a bit due to his quite observant commentary.

"_Yes, ma'am_. _See you_." The phone went silenct seconds later. Alyx closed hers and turned to face Gray.

"Special account?" It wasn't what he wanted to ask first, but since it was a good bet he didn't want to hear the answers to the others, yet, it was the safest place to start.

Alyx rubbed her eyes for a moment. "Yes, I set it up for... personal trips, and both Darien and Bobby have access to it. The money has no direct connection back to any of us and isn't likely to be watched." True enough, once her memory had been returned she'd reconnected with that money and moved it to a new account run through several dummy corporations and eventually back to Michele and not Alyx.

Gray shook his head. "What money?"

Alyx decided to tiptoe about this one. She told him the truth, just not all of it. "It's from my last job for the Agency, before I became ill. The mission was unique and I received some funds from an outside source."

The answer was only partially satisfactory, but Gray had the feeling she'd tell him no more right now. "How long has he known?" His voice was soft as he tried to keep his emotions in check, but the hurt must have been audible, because she visibly flinched.

"Always. All the top personnel at the Agency know," she replied, feeling defeated. He was just plain refusing to understand the situation, and that was her fault for not being willing to tell him, for trying to keep the two halves of her life as separate as possible. "Gray, it was different..."

"Bullshit," he snapped. "Who else knows? Cavanaugh? Morris? Let me guess little Tommy Brooks in data retrieval. Everyone but me."

"Pull over," Alyx stated flatly, her face a pale mask.

"Sil..."

"Pull over, now, or I will do it for you." To prove her point she jerked the wheel to the side with her mind, causing Gray to yelp in surprise and hurriedly straighten the vehicle.

"Damn it, Sil... All right, all right, I'll do it." He immediately followed through by changing lanes and slowing down once on the rougher surface of the breakdown lane.

She flung the door open and was out of the car before it had come to a complete stop. She walked a few steps into the dirty snow that covered the dead grass and stood there shaking. Maybe, waiting until the mission was over was a mistake; maybe the time to dissolve this ... this so-called partnership was now.

Gray yanked on the emergency brake, turned off the engine, and slid across the seat to exit out the passenger side. He watched her for a long moment, glowering at her. It seemed like he was the only one who didn't know what the hell was happening and it hurt. "What is your problem, now?"

"My problem? Last I checked you were chewing my ass off for something that is none of your business." Her voice was cold, colder even than the air about them that turned their words into a fog that drifted away on the slight breeze. He recognized the tone, had heard it used on perps just before she gave them a taste of what she was really capable of, and knew he was treading on very thin ice with her.

"Yet it is Fawkes' business?" Flew out of his mouth before he could stop it.

"Yes, seeing as he is, shall we say, intimately involved in the situation." That scored a direct hit and Gray's look darkened noticeably. "For pity's sake Xavier do I go digging into your personal life? Do I presume to be guardian of your every move off-duty? Do I attempt to dictate who you can or can't see? Or what you can or can't do?" 

She was right and he knew it, but he seemed unable to admit it even to himself. "Not the same," he argued in a tone far more appropriate to that of a petulant child denied a treat.

"Fine," she spat. "Then explain how it's different. Why I don't rate a personal life? Cause I'm a fricking lab rat? Cause I had shit done to me I neither asked for nor wanted? Cause the government all but owns me?" she hissed out the words, letting her anger and frustration over the entire situation find some much needed release. "I have enough people looking over my shoulder without adding another one."

"Sil?" Gray was more than a bit confused, he'd never seen her this upset, never realized she felt this out of control of her life. It had never crossed his mind that there might be a price she paid beyond the headaches and exhaustion her abilities sometimes caused. "I didn't realize..."

"Of course not. You were too busy being the partner you thought I wanted in between bouts of getting mooney-eyed at me. Of course, I was too damn thick-headed to notice you'd gone and convinced yourself you were in love with me." He blushed slightly in embarrassment, but that didn't prevent her from continuing. "You're not, by the way, no more than you were in love with any of your other partners, and if you'd take the time to see me as a person, instead of as some fragile doll of a girl to be put on a pedestal, you'd know this for yourself." She didn't bother to lessen the blow. She'd long since passed the point where politeness might have been possible. She wanted to shock him, wanted to hit him upside the head with the proverbial brick, _wanted_ him to actually see the truth, finally.

Gray didn't know what to say and so just stood there staring at her. The sun was going down and the already chilly temps dropping even further, though the chill coming off of her was far deeper, an impeding ice-age created glacier about to roll right across him without a single thought or care.

Alyx closed her eyes and slumped. "Damn it, Gray, I do care. That's why I'm so upset."

"Sil... Alyx, I... I'm sorry. I'm supposed to help, not be a hindrance, but I can't change the way I feel." His voice was soft but firm, not willing to alter his perspective just yet. 

"And I'm not asking you to. Hell, I swear you're worse than Darien ever was." She threw up her hands in exasperation and stalked over to him. "Can't change how you feel, huh? Then show me. Stop bottling it in and give it to me in all its unadorned glory." 

For a second Gray's heart leapt into his throat, pounding at record speed at her words. She wanted to... with him ... here, at the side of the road? "Alyx, I'm not sure what exactly you mean," he all but stuttered out in confusion.

With a soft growl she grabbed one of his hands. "I have little interest in freezing my ass off in the snow, fool." She took a deep breath and softened her tone. "Just show me."

Now he understood and he suddenly found himself afraid. He'd always been careful to use the lessons taught to him by his grandfather and to keep his mind carefully controlled and quiet when around her. Knowing what she was, that other minds could and did intrude on hers no matter what, he made sure his was not one of them, or at least impinged the smallest amount possible. It was no wonder she hadn't taken overt notice of his feelings about her, he'd been very careful to keep them tightly locked away, not wanting to risk the distraction they could potentially cause. And now she wanted him to throw the door wide and let her experience everything he'd kept trapped inside for long months?

Looking into her eyes, he knew that she wasn't going to back down. He nodded, wrapped his hand about her tiny one, and let go his hold.

Alyx relaxed almost completely, her body going as boneless as possible while still remaining upright. This was a never an easy thing to do and would probably leave her with a headache for hours after, but, at this point, she could see no other way to resolve this. Better to get it out in the open, give him the chance to express himself in this most primitive and very visceral way, than to leave it locked up longer and tear them further apart. Yes, doing this might end any chance of them continuing on, but it would be ended with honesty between them instead of the deception that lay there now.

The emotions washed across her and through her and while he did care, did love her, it was far from even the newly awakened feelings Maxwell Garret had held for her so very long ago. In fact, far more of Gray's tangled emotional state seemed to involve protecting, guarding, and isolating her from those that might hurt her. In and odd way it reminded her of Bobby. There was a part of Gray that did not yet see her as a person, could not see that her talents meant little more than to make her different from the rest of society, that she wanted nothing more than to be seen for who she was. That she wanted to be remembered as Clark Kent and not Superman.

As the flood slowed to a trickle she released his hand and refocused on his face. He looked wary, as if afraid she was going to laugh at him, or revile him for his honest feelings. "Thank you, Xavier." When the tension between them failed to ease she gave him a hint of a smile. "What?"

It took him a moment to find his voice; he'd just poured his heart out to her and all she could say was thank you?' "Your turn. Show me."

She considered for a moment, it might be the best way, the only way for him to understand. "All right. Relax as much as you can, I don't want to hurt you more than necessary."

That caused a surprise surge of fear, though he knew she meant hurting by inserting the information too fast, or by forcing past his unconscious defenses. Yet, part of him was also afraid of what she was about to show him. He did what he could, but was still shocked at her gentle intrusion. It felt like he was being bathed in the heat of the noonday springtime sun. A warmth that penetrated, but did not burn. Everything she felt for him was tangled up in it, the care, the need, the love, as well as the hurt and anger his actions of the last few days had created. He had known there were depths to her that he'd yet to see, but this astounded him.

When she released him he looked at her with such hope in his eyes only to be met with a weary sadness. "Alyx, you can't tell me you don't feel the same I do."

"No, I can't, but that's the point." When it was obvious he was unable to comprehend, she sighed. "One more. I'm getting one hell of a headache."

"What do you..." His sentence cut off, as he was flooded with new information. If the previous experience had been a comforting warmth this... this was the fiery interior of an exploding star. It was brilliant, powerful, and all consuming. The mixture was a roiling confusion of every emotion imaginable as well as a few he couldn't put a name to, that perhaps only existed for her with her unique abilities. Layered over it all was this astonishing sense of peace; a sense of peace that had been sadly missing from her previous emotional show-and-tell, a peace that had also been missing from his feelings for her.

*_This, tsosie-shush-yahz, is how I feel for Darien_.*

The whisper of words through his mind shocked him out of the connection, and he found himself leaning back against the hood of the Hummer panting for air. His was head pounding due to the sudden parting. "Shit," he mumbled, finding it difficult to speak. 

She was at his side a moment later, her head not in nearly as much pain. "Easy, alah. The worst of it will pass in a minute or two."

He nodded and gulped in air, berating himself for such a stupid move. "Tsidi, I... I can't say I understand, but I will say I understand better. Something like that you can't fight, can you?"

"No, or rather not for long." She leaned against the car and tipped her head up to see the first faint stars against the indigo sky. "He and I had some weird connection from almost the first moment we met - a side effect of my powers and poor control back then. It still took me months before I was willing to admit it to myself." Tipping her head down she kicked at the lumps of dirty snow near her feet. "Gray, you need to really look at your feelings for me. Do you even see me, or just the idealized image? I know your upbringing is influencing you, distorting how you see me. I'm no seer, no holy woman to be revered. I'm a person who carries 10 times the burden everyone else does, yet with the same simple hopes and dreams. I don't want the glory, I'd much rather have quiet evening with a good book and to be a complete nonentity for my remaining days. But that does not look to be my lot in life," she said, chagrined.

"You're right, to a degree anyway. I do see you as something special, but shouldn't I? You are special and for far more than just your gifts." Gray's tone was almost plaintive, trying to sway her.

"Ah, but what would I be without them? Nothing but a 40 year old housewife who lives only for her children." Alyx knew he wouldn't believe those words even though they were the complete truth. 

Gray burst out laughing at the mere thought of her ever being something so mundane. "Ah, tsidi, what an image."

Alyx allowed herself a small smile while she still could. His would fade soon enough as he discovered her facetious-seeming words were just one step this side of reality. "Gray..." She shook her head, wanting to say so many things, but knowing they were pointless until after they'd arrived and he'd had a chance to... to discover exactly what her _special project_ was. "Are you still in? Still want to help me?"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation and with all the conviction he could muster.

"Then can we go? I'm freezing out here." As if to emphasize her point she visibly shivered.

He wasn't all that surprised that she was cold now that her anger had burned off, since she was clad only in her T-shirt and sweater, her jacket still in the vehicle.

"Aoo-alah. You cold is never a fun experience." He draped an arm about her shoulder and she leaned into him for a moment, wanting things back to normal between them.

"How's your headache?" she asked, with her face still pressed against his side.

"Well enough." He gently pushed her upright and maneuvered her until he was able to open the passenger door. "Until this mission is complete I will back you in anything. After that... we'll figure it out. All right?"

She nodded and let him slip across the seat, into the driver's position, then settled herself carefully in the passenger's side. Her head competing for her attention with her back. "I've never asked for more, Xavier."

The engine started with a roar, very nearly drowning out her words. As Gray pulled back out onto the highway the sun completed its descent and full darkness settled in for the long night to come.


	12. Chapter 12

*12*

The closer they got, the tenser she became, the more worried she became and the more unsure she became about everything. She found the most comfortable position she could and, knowing she wouldn't sleep chose to do some of her mental exercises instead. No matter how natural, how integrated her talents were in her every day life she still had to practice, still had to sort through information and store it away. Still had to clear and settle her mind on regular basis or she'd find herself good and lost with no map to find her way out and very few people in the world able to help her. Sometimes her abilities were far more a hazard, to herself and others, than a help.

Gray was quiet as well, occasionally singing along with the music on the radio, but for the most part concentrating on driving as an excuse to not think about Alyx, himself, Fawkes, and everything in between. He wanted her to rest as much as she could before they arrived. She was wearing herself down to nothing, had been doing so for a couple months now, and he'd been unable to get her to slow down even for a second. The addition of other agencies co-opting her time more and more often wasn't helping either, but those requests always came through Cavanaugh and neither Gray nor Alyx had any control over them.

Knowing only that he had to get to Rhode Island and Newport he followed the signs, avoiding the one bridge that had a toll, as she had requested. It did mean that not only was he at the wrong end of the island, but that he had no idea where to go from there. Releasing the steering wheel with one hand he set it gently on Alyx's shoulder and a moment later her head came up and her eyes opened.

"Gray?" Her tongue felt thick, while not asleep she'd definitely gone far deeper than she'd planned.

"We've just crossed the Mt. Hope Bridge onto the island. I need to know where to go from here," he told her succinctly once he was sure she was awake enough.

Alyx scrubbed her face with her hands and yawned, one ear popping in response. "Uh, that's 114, right?"

Gray nodded.

"Just keep following it south into Newport." She glanced at the clock noting it was a little after eight. It was Thursday so traffic shouldn't be too bad, but one never knew with this town. "I'll give you the back road details when we're closer to downtown, it'll depend on traffic." 

He grunted in reply, feeling a bit confused, he had expected her to direct him to the Navy base he knew was on the island, but followed her instructions. Downtown was an odd mixture of the modern and the antique; 300 year old homes just blocks from a thoroughly modern and completely garish Super Wal-Mart. 

He became even more confused as she directed him into an area that was obviously filled with homes of the rich, in fact even he'd heard about these homes, playhouses for the disgustingly wealthy and famous long before the Hamptons was even a dream. Homes owned by the Vanderbuilts, Astor, Wetmore, Oelrichs, among others of high society from the late 1800s until about the1920s, who would spend their summers schmoozing and performing the one-upsmanship dance of the wealthy as they partied and relaxed along the Atlantic coast.

He followed the winding and dark road that ran directly alongside the cliffs, the white-capped waves easily seen as they crashed into the rocks. The lack of streetlights and his unfamiliarity with the route encouraged him to obey the speed limit even as others seemed to take the sharp curves at breakneck speed. After one such incident, the driver of the other car surprised at the appearance of the Hummer and fishtailing his car in his haste to slow it, Gray cursed under his breath.

Alyx chuckled softly.

"Sil?" Exasperation had taken control for the moment.

"Sorry, I can remember doing that myself. I think my record for this road was 60 miles an hour." She shook her head. "I was insane, but it was, after all, a dare." 

They drove a few more minutes in a subdued silence. Gray not sure if he should ask what the hell was going on, yet again, and Alyx trying to find the necessary courage now that they were nearly there. A few more concise directions had him on what was obviously a private road with few homes on it and finally on a gravel drive that Alyx opened the gate for.

"What is this place?" Gray asked, as the gravel crunched beneath the tires and the snow covered branches hung over the road, hiding the night sky from sight.

"My home, Gray." 

His head snapped about and he gaped at her for an instant before focusing back on the driveway. "Wha... What?"

"Xavier, my real name is Michele MacTierney and my _project_ is my four children." She got the words out just as they broke past the trees and the oversized two-story home came into view. "One of my kids is... is ill."

Gray began cursing again, but this time in Navajo, and, while she may not have understood the specific meanings, the gist was plain. More so with the emotions poring unchecked off him. Somehow he managed to park the car in the turnabout by the garage and snap off the ignition. "This is the big secret, that you have kids? Fawkes' by any chance?"

She shook her head. "No, and they're not your typical kids." She sighed heavily. "I knew you'd be angry. I knew this was a bad idea. Shit." She opened the door and stepped out into the cold night air just as the nearby door to the house opened, spilling a warm yellow light onto the thick layer of snow that covered the yard; remains of the snowstorm just a few days ago. "I can't deal with this now, I need to see my son." And with that she slammed the door shut and ran to the figure who had stepped onto the porch and leaving Gray behind to do as he wished.

Mike stopped her before she went in, just a few moments to comfort her and to quickly exchange information. Then she dashed away, shedding her coat, which fell onto the floor and giving her family a quick mental hug as she headed to Chris' room.

Gray sat in the Hummer for several minutes, seething. She'd lied to him about everything, about who she was, what she was, hell, even her name wasn't hers. The interior of the car cooling noticeably finally drove him out and towards the figure standing patiently on the porch. It took two looks before he believed his eyes. "Agent Corvan? What are you doing here?"

"Agent Graywolf, good to see you again," Mike said calmly, he could easily feel the shock, confusion, and anger coming from the much larger man. The man that his sister was not only partnered to, but also trusted in a way she'd been able to with few others for many years. "Come on inside and we'll explain what we can."

Gray did so, but with much trepidation. "We? Corvan, I can safely say I'm completely confused."

"Jeeze, mom wasn't kidding when she described you as a giant teddy bear," an amused voice said from nearby.

Gray turned to face the owner of the voice and met the blue-gray eyes of a young girl who was a veritable duplicate of Alyx, _if_ she were about 10 years younger with freckles and coppery curls. She was 9 or 10 years old at a guess. He was forced to swallow the pejorative that tried to burst past his lips.

Rose snickered. "Wow, can I use that one later?"

Mike took Gray's coat from his seemingly numb grasp and rolled his eyes. "Rose, you know better." He hung the coat up and waved Gray towards the kitchen.

"Mike, half the island heard that one," Rose argued in defense of herself as she trailed after the two men.

"True enough," Amanda agreed from her position near the stove, where she was slowly stirring something in a pot. "Even I caught that one, and you know I'm still pretty fuzzy in that area." She nodded to Gray. "Mr. Graywolf, I hope you like Yankee pot roast, as it's one of the few items I can make successfully." She turned slightly to face Mike. "Dani'll be down in a few. She's bringing mom up to date."

"Good enough. Graywolf, sit, please. You've dozens of questions, I'm sure, and you need to eat." Mike waved him to the table, but it wasn't until Rose took him by hand and led him there that he finally moved, and even then he had to be encouraged to sit.

"Mike, I think he's kinda in overload. Alcohol might be in order." Rose was honestly concerned for the man. She'd known he didn't know about them yet, or what they could do, but mom had said not to hide anything, that he was angry with her, not them, and that he needed the truth.

That snapped him out of his daze. "How would you know that?"

Rose grinned at him. "I can feel it, of course. I inherited more than just my looks from mom."

It took Gray several minutes, his eyes flicking from one person to another, before eventually coming to rest on Mike. "I think she's right. A drink might be just what I need."

***

As Darien slipped the phone back into his jacket pocket he caught the slight frown on Hobbes' face. "You sure you're okay with this. Heading to her place?"

Hobbes thought about it for a few minutes before answering. "This time, yeah. Keller's not going anywhere and, if I know the kid, she has people keeping an eye on the situation for her. It doesn't really matter where we plan our next move."

"It's Chris, Hobbes. I'm betting it's why she arranged to have this week off, only this mission screwed those plans." Darien knew he didn't normally have to defend or justify her actions, but felt the need to on this occasion.

"I know, Fawkes, which is why I told her I agreed. This time. And _we_ are not hanging out there, even if she has other problems to deal with." Hobbes moved the car into the exit lane to head back to the hotel - with a side trip past the records building to see the damage for himself. "We have a job to do and...."

"Hobbes, don't start lecturing. I know the routine; work first. For us anyway. Sides last I checked Franklin was on her ass to stay out of it anyway. Maybe we'll get more done while off his radar." Darien was far more amused than irritated at his partner. As he'd told Alyx, reminders of the reality of the way things were these days were necessary. His preferred mindset was still not always compatible with the way life was now. 

Hobbes debated for a few seconds and decided it was time to share the truth. "We're not following Franklin's orders." Darien's head snapped around to stare at his partner, who had to repress the urge to chuckle. "The orders come from Cavanaugh and take precedence."

Darien sighed. "Which is why we're on a field trip without permission and why Gray is so pissed. Well, one of the reasons anyway." He'd suspected there was something else going on, but trusted both Alyx and Hobbes to keep the lot of them on the right track and from being derailed unexpectedly. Though with today's information they were at a bit of a dead end. 

"Lots more than the kid seeming to disobey orders bothering Graywolf, but it's nothing we can fix," Hobbes commented a bit ruefully. He'd never wish more trouble on her, but she seemed to attract it and with her it was never just one thing.'

They drove through the evening traffic, slowing as they came near the records building. Traffic was still being diverted around it, but a flash of his badge got pair inside the line and a short chat with the fire department supervisor who was on site and overseeing the final stages of the clean up. There wasn't much left; a few blackened skeletal remains of the exterior walls and smoking hole in the ground.

Whatever had been used, and the supervisor assured them something had been used, had burned hot, fast, and had been highly resistant to being doused. They'd been forced to bring in one of the foam trucks from the airport before they had gotten any control over the situation, and even then they couldn't put it out. Could only keep it from spreading. The building and everything it contained was a total loss.

After a few more questions Hobbes pulled away leaving them to the daunting task of trying to find the arsonist. Though he had a pretty good guess as to who had committed the crime he hadn't bothered to fill in the fire chief since he had no names, only suspicions based on what had occurred to them yesterday morning. Darien was uncharacteristically silent the entire drive to the hotel and remained so until after Hobbes had confirmed seats for them on a late evening plane flight that would get them into T.F. Green airport in Providence about 2:00 a.m. local time.

"Fawkes, what's eating at you now?" Hobbes finally broke down and asked before his partner fretted himself into a full-blown brood session. The man may have perfected the moody look, but it usually signaled some deep worry that would eat at him until forced out into the open air and exposed to the light of day.

"We've been through a lot of shit together, both with and without Alyx, right?" A roundabout route to answer Hobbes' question, but a necessary one Darien believed.

"You know it, my friend. And always landed on our feet," Hobbes agreed, wondering where he was going with this.

"Even when facing down guys that were supposed to be on our side, there was always a reason. Somewhere under all the crap it made sense." Darien sat down heavily on the end of the bed and absently scratched the side of his neck where the collar of his jacket had been rubbing. "This one doesn't. What the hell is so damn important that they'd try to off the good guys ? us ? and torch that building? It sure as hell wasn't loaded with government secrets."

Hobbes grunted in agreement, not understanding it yet himself, though he was beginning to think all of this, up to and including the supposed assassination attempt, was far more personal than political. "You're right, Fawkes, the situation stinks, but we ain't got all the pieces we need, and I'm betting a bunch of them just went up in smoke."

"So now what? Just keep stumbling along and hope we find the answer before it's too late?" He may not have come into this... job willingly, but these days he took it as seriously as any other facet of his life and he hated screwing up; especially when people came to harm.

"That's the job, Fawkes. With all the wonderful benefits like hazard pay and overtime included," Hobbes sneered the last. "Look, partner, we ain't in this for the glitz and glamour. We work our tails off to keep Joe Mundane from having to worry about some dickhead poisoning the local water supply." Hobbes sat down next to his partner, hands dangling between his thighs as he focused on the floor. "Most days we win, some we lose. But we keep going, cause there ain't no one else to do this job."

Darien sighed. "I swear you and Alyx are joined at the brain sometimes." Alyx had spouted off the almost identical speech when she'd informed him of her being transferred to the CIA. "Some days I wonder if it's worth it, I guess."

"So do I, my friend. So do I."

***

The plane ride was uneventful and both men managed to sleep most of the flight, Darien drifting off as soon as the plane had leveled out at 35,000 feet. There were only three of them in the first class section, and Darien took full advantage of that by stretching out his longs legs and getting as comfortable as possible. He had the feeling it might be his last chance at some serious sleep for a while. 

Hobbes agreed, though they didn't discuss it, he just satisfied himself that all was secure on the plane before allowing himself to drift off into a light slumber. Always wary to begin with, he was even more so these days. Everything had changed that fall morning, but like most of the world, he'd adjusted and moved on as best as he could.

They were met by Dani, who had grown even more in the months since they'd last seen her, standing a good five foot eight with curly dark blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She looked decidedly tired and gave them the basics of what was going on as they gathered their bags and headed out to her Land Rover. The drive was done mostly in silence as Darien was still mostly asleep and fell into a doze once the car was moving. Dani and Hobbes talked quietly; the subject revolving around her plans for school come fall.

It wasn't until they neared the house that she mentioned Graywolf.

"... not very happy," Dani was saying when Darien jerked awake; the change in the road surface, from smooth asphalt to the surprisingly familiar gravel of the driveway, bringing him back to consciousness.

Hobbes snorted. The comment that followed was accompanied by a bland tone. "Pissed off at the kid again. If she didn't trust him I'd tell her to find another partner."

Darien sat up a bit more rubbing his face in his hands and yawning hugely. Dani was shaking her head, the lights from the house as they came out from the trees to the open expanse in front of the house making her easily visible. The car slowed as the garage door slid upwards.

"It's more than that, Bobby. Rose likes him," Dani explained, her few words speaking volumes to both men. Rose had this knack for judging people that the entire family trusted. "Says he needs to work through a few _male_ issues is all."

"Huh. That kid is gonna be trouble." He caught the look that crossed the young woman's features. "Already trouble, I take it."

Dani chuckled. "You know it." She pulled into the garage and shut off the engine before signaling the door shut, which caused the overhead light to automatically come on. "You alive back there, Mr. Fawkes?"

"Sorta?" Darien shifted, stretching a bit. "Darien, remember? Call me Darien."

Dani turned about to face him and smiled. "Just checking. You might have changed your mind."

"He'd have to have one first," Hobbes chided, as he opened the door and stepped out into the chilly air of the garage. "Damn, hope this weather breaks soon."

"By mid-week, is the latest guess," Dani told him as she climbed out and swung the door shut.

Darien joined the crowd, but was suddenly wary about going inside. "Oh, this is not going to be fun," he muttered, mostly to himself.

"I'll deal with Graywolf if he's up, you go check on Michele." Hobbes crossed the concrete floor and opened the door that led into the house proper.

"Might as well, he sure as hell won't listen to me," Darien grumbled ruefully.

"Oh, he'll listen, Darien. He just won't hear you," Dani stated flatly. It wasn't that she _knew_ anything more than they did, just the impression she'd gotten from the man over the course of this very long evening.

"Too deep for me, kiddo." Hobbes shook his head as he stepped inside the pleasantly warm home.

Dani snorted in derision. "_Nothing_ gets by you, Hobbes."

Darien only shook his head, steeling himself for the potential confrontation to come and hoping to avoid it.


	13. Chapter 13

*13*

Darien slowly opened the door to Chris' room and stuck his head inside to check things out. Chris was lying on the bed, a book having fallen to the side suggesting he'd been reading at some point and had drifted back off into slumber. Mike had explained that Chris had been in and out of consciousness as his body sorted through all the new incoming information. The kid had gone down with an excruciating headache when things had kicked into gear, but was recovering nicely by all accounts. He should be up and around in a day or two, provided things continued to go as expected. 

As he stepped into the room, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck go up as... _something_ took notice of him. It took a moment for him to see Michele hidden in the shadows, propped up in an overstuffed chair that he recognized as belonging down in the formal living room. She had pillows stuffed about her and was partially turned onto her left side to keep pressure off her back. She looked tiny and fragile compared to her young son on the nearby bed, who, for all the stark paleness to his skin, looked far healthier and far more comfortable.

Darien finally realized it was _her_ causing him to want to run from the room with his skin crawling in discomfort. Even while in apparent sleep she was watching over and protecting her family. "It's just me, Chele." He kept his voice low, not wanting to risk waking her.

The feeling eased, but did not dissipate completely. Crossing the room, he laid the back of his hand against her cheek. "'S'okay, sweets. I'll make sure he's safe." There was an odd flash of something from her, relief maybe, and the intrusive probing faded, leaving a light contact that she seemed to need. "Rest, I'm not going anywhere." When she sighed and settled deeper into the cushions, the last of the tension leaving her body, he made his decision. 

To anyone else, this simple act of sitting with her ill son would seem commonplace, but it struck a nerve with him. Granted, he'd lost both parents to the winds of fate at a young age, but that didn't mean he'd forgotten. This act, this seemingly simple performance of what so many appeared to see as an onerous duty, she took on without complaint. She _wanted_ to deal with it, _wanted_ to be here for her family, her children. And he wanted to help her, be there for her, and with her to take on his share of the responsibility. 

What a few days before had been nothing more than a crazed idea to lay some sort of claim on her, to be able to proclaim to the world that she was his, had transformed into what it should be. The want, the need to share her life, to become a part of her family, to share in the happiness she found with them; and maybe... just maybe give her a bit more. 

"Mr. Fawkes, what are you doing here?" a sleepy voice asked from behind him.

Darien dropped his hand away from her face, surprised that only seconds had gone by as his epiphany had struck, and turned to see Chris shifting and sitting up. Darien went over and sat on the edge of the bed and looked the young man over. He looked far more like his Uncle Michael than his father, and that reddish brown hair was definitely from the MacTierney end of the gene pool. "You should be resting," Darien admonished gently. "You doing, okay?"

Chris laughed softly. "I've been out of it most of the day. I'm feeling better now. Little light headed. Like my insides are too big for my skin and trying to break free..." He shook his head, knowing that explanations and descriptions would make little sense. 

"I can imagine. She wanted to be here, you know that, right?" Darien glanced over at Michele, and Chris followed the look.

"I know," Chris answered quietly. "She wants to be here all the time, but she can't be. Not and keep us safe and out of the game, as well."

All the kids were well aware of the reality of the situation and placed no blame, just dealt with it and made sure the time spent together, as a family was filled with joy instead of pain. 

Darien decided that there was no better time than the present to act upon his sudden revelation. "Chris, I need to ask you something; all of you kids, in fact." He wouldn't force his way into this family. If they were against or even the slightest bit reluctant about him and Chele being together, he'd back off and leave things as they were. For now, anyway.

"I can, uh... conference call them in if you like. Even Manda can pick me up, thick headed as she still is." Chris tried not to snicker at the look of confusion, and then understanding that crawled across Darien's face. Once you got to know him, Darien was dead easy to read, even without cheating.

"They're still awake?" Chris nodded. "Sure, it concerns all of you." Darien was suddenly nervous. What if they balked at or hated the idea? What if they didn't want someone replacing their father? What if...

"Darien, you're gonna give me a headache. Telepathy may be one of my minor talents, but I still have it." Chris broke Darien out of the circle of fears with a hand on his forearm. "I can just about guarantee we won't hate the idea; and as for our _father_..." He paused and took in a deep breath; that particular issue was still very touchy for the entire family. "We're in the process of having our names legally changed, like mom already did." Darien's confusion was obvious. "Later, Dani'll tell you everything later." He closed his eyes and rubbed the side of his head. "Okay, they're all online. So to speak."

Darien grinned; this was going to take some getting used to. "You know I care about your mom and... and you guys too." The nervousness was back and it showed. "If you guys think it's okay, I'd like to ask her to marry me." He looked over at Michele not quite willing to see the reaction on Chris' face. She was still asleep, completely unaware (he hoped) of the discussion going on between him and her son and the other kids in absentia.

"Darien..." Chris was interrupted by a whirlwind flying into the room and attacking Darien, nearly knocking him off the bed and to the floor.

"What took you so damn long?" Rose crowed _sotto voce_, knowing better than to deprive her mother of her desperately needed sleep.

"To translate what Rose so eloquently stated; yes, Darien, you are more than welcome to join this family." Chris passed along the combined replies from his other two sisters with a wry grin. "Dani was surprised you didn't ask ages ago, when you knew mom was going to be okay." He got this sly look. "It might have kept her at the Agency: some extra leverage for the Official to use."

Darien groaned as Rose clambered off his back and came to a bouncing stop on the bed next to him. "It never crossed my mind back then. I was just glad she was alive and that I could see her again."

"And you didn't think she'd ever say yes," Rose added in that tone of voice that said she knew it was the truth.

"She still may not," Dani stated from the doorway. Everyone turned to look at her. "Come on, downstairs all of you. Chris, if you can play relay then you're well enough to eat, and you need to." She looked over at her mom, who was shivering lightly, though from a chill or a dream she was unsure. "And she needs some peace."

Chris nodded and tossed off the covers, he was still a bit unsteady, his balance not quite up to standard yet, so Darien gave him an assist and together they walked out of the room, leaving Michele to get the sleep she needed to recover.

***

Darien had shed his coat and made a beeline for the stairwell that led upstairs, while Dani played momentary hostess and hung the coats on the rack in the back hall. She waved for Hobbes to go on ahead. "Make yourself at home, Bobby. I'll move your stuff to the guest room on the back side of the house, since Gray has the front one."

"No need, I know the routine. I'm the last person you need to schlep for, kiddo," Hobbes admonished her and getting one of her brilliant smiles for his trouble. She was so like her mother at times it was astonishing. "Now, where's that uncle of yours? I need to talk to him before glaring up at Graywolf."

Dani visibly bit her lip to contain her laughter. There were few people who wouldn't have to look up to the very tall agent, including herself, but since Bobby actually had to look up to _her_ these days, it made his comment very amusing. Not that he had to worry, Bobby Hobbes had the self-confidence of any other three men combined even if it was buried beneath his various medical conditions; he'd never have made it for as long as he had in the business without it.

"He's still in the kitchen with Manda. Gray is channel surfing in front of the big screen and... Amazing, Rose is dozing on the couch next to him," Dani rattled all this off in a slightly flat tone that he recognized from Alyx. Dani had been gathering the information even as they walked to the kitchen to find the man in question. She moved off on her own to inform Gray that the other two agents had arrived.

"Agent Hobbes, flight all right?" Mike handed over the beer he'd taken out when Dani had warned him Hobbes was on his way and armed for bear. Or wolf as the case may be...

Hobbes glanced at the dark brown bottle, noting it was a locally brewed brand, and shrugged. It was good bet none of them would get any sleep until after dawn anyway, and, while not afraid of the larger agent, he was most certainly _not_ looking forward to talking with him. "It got us here. Is the kid... uh, Michele doing okay?" When here, he put forth the effort to call her by her real name instead of "kid," but the habit was hard to break.

"Worried, of course, and her back's a disaster area. I still haven't gotten the full story on that one." When it looked like Hobbes was going to fill in, Mike shook his head. "It can wait. Go trade intel with Graywolf, and we'll talk trivial stuff tomorrow after everyone has had some real sleep."

Hobbes downed another large swallow of the beer. "Might as well. We're at a dead end. I sure as hell hope their info can get us out of it."

Amanda snickered as she unloaded the dishwasher. "Bobby, you'll punch your way through if necessary. Though with Darien you could just go up and over. He still has all his climbing gear after all."

Hobbes rolled his eyes, knowing exactly how true that statement was, but her point also got across. "Him and his trained monkey act."

"And you the organ grinder," Dani tossed in, as she entered the room. Hobbes groaned. "Gray's waiting to speak to you. Seems antsy to get the prelims out of the way."

"I just bet. How pissed off is he?" Hobbes asked her, fearing the worst.

"He's more confused and hurt at this point. Talking to the girls seemed to settle him a bit," Mike answered, then waved towards the family room where he knew Gray to be hiding. "Go on, before he comes looking for you."

"We wouldn't want that." Taking the beer with him, Hobbes sauntered out of the kitchen and across the open expanse between the two rooms and stood in the doorway for several minutes watching the channels flip by in a rather methodical manner. Hobbes could tell Gray wasn't really interested in the television, it was simply something to do while he brooded. Deciding to skip the preliminaries, Hobbes cleared his throat after another swallow of the dark golden liquid. 

"So what do you think of the place?" Hobbes waved his hand in a vague manner to encompass the house and its contents.

"I'm trying not to," Gray answered at a harsh whisper, not wanting to wake the small child lying sound asleep beside him. The girl had stuck by his side the entire time, even when he had pointedly ignored her presence. The amount of information the three kids and Agent Corvan - Michael - had fed him was small, but more than enough to throw his entire worldview into complete chaos. Not only was Sil ... Michele actually far, _far_ older than she appeared, but she'd been married, had four kids, and, this was the kicker, Michael was her twin brother who not only had similar talents to Michele, but lived here with her to protect the children. Children that, much like she had warned him, were _anything_ but ordinary. 

She'd lied over and over and over again to him, and it seemed as if they expected him to just smile and nod as if it didn't matter. But, damn it all, it did matter.

"She didn't lie, Graywolf, just failed to tell the entire truth." Hobbes crossed between the television and the man, the TV having stopped on some news channel at his softly spoken words. As Hobbes settled on a nearby chair he smiled at the boneless body sprawled on the "el" of the sectional, once again amazed at how peacefully kids could sleep, even these kids. "Can you even pretend it ain't justified now that you've met most of em?"

The television went dark, and Gray set the remote aside. "She could've trusted me."

"She does trust you," a small voice mumbled. "With all her heart."

Both men turned to look at Rose, who yawned and rolled onto her back, stretching like a cat. Rubbing her eyes, she got to her feet and wandered over to Hobbes and gave him a quick hug before squishing herself in the oversized chair next to him. "Missed ya, Hobbesy."

"Jeeze, kid we talked, what? Ten days ago?" Hobbes griped as he shifted a bit to accommodate her.

"Not the same, Hobbesy. You're much more fun to tease in person." She bounced a bit in place, the nap having done much to restore her energy for the time being. 

"As amusing as this is," Gray commented in a dry tone, "it still doesn't explain why I wasn't told."

"For the same reason mom didn't want a regular partner. Anyone near her is at risk of being used against her, no matter how many false identities and false personas she hides behind." Rose frowned at Gray. "You, of all people, should know that."

Gray just stared at the girl, wondering, and not for the first time that evening, how she knew so much for her tender years.

"The kid's right. Look, the situation at the Agency was different. Somehow the Chief managed to keep her off the bad guys' radar, but that can't last. Once they figure out going after her won't work, they'll look for other targets." Hobbes tensed up; he shouldn't have to explain the basics to someone as experienced as Graywolf. "With you at the top of the hit list."

"You think I don't know that?" Gray snapped in frustration. "How the hell am I supposed to protect her, to help her if she doesn't tell me all of the truth?"

Hobbes growled in frustration, but calmed when Rose set a hand on his arm. 

"My job is to keep her safe. Not an easy task by any means, but if I had known about... about this," He snapped a hand out to punctuate his words, "maybe she wouldn't have been so god damned unhappy lately. Maybe she wouldn't be hurt now. For all I know she was daydreaming about her children instead of the job at hand."

"She was too busy saving your ass to be worrying about these kids who are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves." Hobbes did his damnedest to make the words were the slap in the face he planned them to be. It almost worked.

"I was nowhere near Sil when she got hurt, you little..." Gray was cut off by Rose getting to her feet.

"Hey, there is a lady present, ya mook." Hobbes chuckled, knowing exactly where she'd learned that particular turn of phrase. "But not for long." With a withering glance at Graywolf, she flounced from the room obviously not happy with the argument. *_Try not to hurt him too much, Hobbesy_.*

This he caught just as she exited the room, the sound of her bare feet slapping into the hardwood floor her remaining commentary of Graywolf's attitude. "It's true. Chele is the reason you didn't take a header off that second floor landing the other night. She kept you there and held the banister together. It was just enough of a distraction for the guy to get the drop on her." Hobbes took a sip of his drink while he waited for Gray to absorb that bit of information. "But ya know what? She thinks you're worth it. Would do it again in a heartbeat. And you're pissed off because she wanted to protect her family, her children. Dani is all of 16 and already takes on three times the responsibility of any other child her age. Michele is doing everything in her power to give them as normal lives as possible and... and it's killing her inside to know she might be failing." Hobbes sighed, knowing they would not be getting any work done until Gray took the time to actually think about all of this. 

Pushing himself to his feet, he headed to the nearest doorway, which did not require walking past the larger agent who was trying to glare a hole into the floor from the looks of it. "I'm gonna grab something to eat. When you're ready to exchange info, join me." 

Gray sat there staring at the floor without seeing anything and trying not to let Hobbes' harsh words sink in. She'd been hurt because of him? Instead of protecting herself like she was supposed to, she'd put herself at serious risk for him? While not all that surprising that she had acted to protect her partner, it was the fact that she hadn't used it as a reprimand that he couldn't seem to absorb. Never made a single comment about it, and she would have been justified in doing so an easy dozen times over.

"Damn it, tsidi, you're making even less sense to me than usual," he muttered to himself.

He gave that statement a moment to rattle about and finally came to the conclusion that it was very true. Until today he'd never met her, not the real her anyway. Alyx had been this surprisingly well-trained agent for someone so young, who just happened to have several very unique talents at her disposal. She also had an amazing amount of power, influence and contacts for one who should still be in college. She had always carried herself as much older than she appeared, and in fact, with the exception of her looks, came across far older in just about every facet of her personality.

He was going to have to get used to this idea, to get to know her again. Agent Hobbes was right about her kids and the need to protect them. If certain US government factions knew of their existence they would stop at nothing to get a hold of them. Gray realized he was going to have to make some serious decisions in the near future. A single phone call to the right person and he would have his pick of position and agency. He'd simply have to betray the trust Alyx - Michele - had given him by allowing him to come here, by allowing him to see what she considered the most important thing in her life. Her family.

A small bitter part of his mind argued that he'd be betraying nothing since she had failed to trust him enough from the beginning with who she really was. That thought was countered by the fact that _no one_ had told him, and it was safe bet Cavanaugh knew the truth and had approved of the deception.

And they were children, amazing children, yes, but still children and, while he might be upset with their mother, he could not in good conscience do anything that would put them at risk.

Graywolf stood and headed for the kitchen only to find it empty of the people he'd expected to see within. Hearing a variety of voices nearby, he passed through the far door into the formal dining area to see everyone, including the son he'd not yet met, sitting around the table. He had hoped to see Sil as well, but she was not among the slightly raucous group.

"Hey, Gray," Amanda welcomed in a soft voice. "Have a seat." She waved him towards the empty chair next to her.

Gray didn't move, his focus drawn to the pale young man sitting in a chair obviously from the living room and eating some soup with a shaky hand. The boy's hand froze halfway to his mouth when he noticed Gray's observation and looked over at him.

"Mom's still sleeping." Chris got himself back into motion after a second. Still new to his abilities, the presence of the man had surprised him, but it took less than a second for him to understand why his mom was loathe to lose his companionship, and why he had her so upset.

"And we are not going to wake her unless necessary," Darien stated, as he dunked a piece of crusty French bread into the bowl of stew before him. "Manda, did I mention this was delicious?"

"Only four or five times." Hobbes snickered. "You'd think you hadn't eaten in days or something."

"Hobbes, you have no appreciation for a home cooked meal." Darien wagged the spoon at him for an instant before diving back in.

Moving over to the indicated chair, Gray sat down next to Amanda and looked at the people about him in bemusement. They acted as if this was an every day occurrence, as if having stranger invading their home was nothing unusual. From Corvan to Fawkes to the young boy looking pale and tired, they all just fit together and it amazed Gray.

He cleared his throat. 

"You ready to talk, Agent Graywolf?" Hobbes asked, turning slightly in his chair to see Gray's face." 

"I have a few questions first." Gray looked at Corvan, however, and not Hobbes. "How did this happen? You, Sil, the...." He waved at the kids.

"The QSX Project," Darien answered as he pushed the bare bowl away and leaned back in the chair. "Late 60's experimentation on infants. It worked both better and worse than they expected." That summed up the whole mess in a nutshell, but didn't come close to explaining anything of real value. 

"I have never heard of this... this QSX Project." Gray frowned.

"Not surprising. It was forgotten and buried for years, even as it continued. Chele is the only confirmed success," Michael answered calmly. "There are two phases to the project, only Chele has undergone both, which is why her Quicksilver ability is active. Her other talents she's always had, just dormant."

Gray shook his head. "I still can't believe she's that old, or your twin for that matter. She just looks..."

"Frickin' young," Hobbes grumbled. "She don't act it though. The Keep says it's some weird side effect, though even she don't understand why."

"Her looks caused a few problems at first for Hobbesy here," Darien reminded him.

"Damn straight, but it worked out well enough. Ain't many trained agents that'd take a bullet for another their first mission out," Hobbes agreed, as he resisted the urge to kick Fawkes' shin under the table. Now was not the time to go for a stroll down memory lane. He nodded at Dani. "Kiddo, you got a room we can discuss some things private like?"

"Sure. You can use the office downstairs. We've rearranged a bit since you were last here." She pushed herself upright.

Darien followed suit. "Again?"

"Yep, always more toys we need," Rose got out around a yawn.

"You should head to bed, young lady," Darien admonished with a smile.

Rose stuck out her tongue and gave him an impressive raspberry. 

"She will be heading there shortly," Mike stated in a stern voice. "As will the rest of us, I hope."

Darien gave Chris a comforting pat on the shoulder as he walked past him. "You take it easy, okay?"

"I will, Darien," Chris agreed without hesitation. "Probably head back to bed shortly. I'm still feeling crappy." 

"Great, Fawkes, now you got all the kids spouting your sig line," Hobbes complained from the doorway to the kitchen. "Shall we? The sooner we trade info the sooner we can get to sleep."

"Sleep? Who needs sleep?" an unexpected voice said from the kitchen.

Darien pushed past Hobbes and went to Michele, who was standing by the table holding a cup of coffee in her hands. She still looked tired, but not quite as bad as she had earlier. He set his hands on her shoulders and gave her the once over. "You could've stayed asleep. We can handle the info swap."

"Well, tell my back that. I'm gonna dig out my real pain pills and down a couple. And that nap'll keep me going for a while." She leaned against him for a moment, drawing from his strength. "Where's Gray hiding?"

"He's not," Gray replied, as he entered the room as well. He made sure to keep both his voice and emotions neutral. Now was not the time to be upsetting her. 

She looked around Darien and gave Gray a small smile. "Mikey, make sure the rugrats get some sleep soon." She could feel that all of the kids were tired, but they were just as stubborn as their mom was. Poor Rose was all but asleep on her feet and Chris' temporary energy high was bottoming out. Dani and Manda were only marginally more awake, but Dani assured her that she would sleep as soon as Chris was settled.

"Don't they have school in the morning... in a few hours?" Hobbes asked.

"Technically yes, but we're a special case and the school was informed of the family emergency. So long as we make up the work, there won't be a problem," Dani explained from behind them, and Hobbes turned about to look at her.

"I should've known. And come Monday everything will be back to normal around here." Hobbes was nodding to himself. "All right kiddies, let's get to work."

"Yes, master." Darien saluted, released Michele and led the way to the stairs that led down to the finished basement.

The lights came on without anyone having to touch a switch; a trick of Michele's that Hobbes had always envied. Once at the bottom of the steps, the ceiling less than a foot above Graywolf's head, she led the way to the open area that was filled with a collection of worktables, chairs, sofas and even the occasional beanbag. It was where the kids obviously hung out as they waited for their various experiments to run their course. The tables, one round and one rectangle, were former dining tables that had been relegated to this secondary use after having been beat up beyond salvaging and no longer considered appropriate for upstairs. It was plain by the look of discomfort on her face that she wanted no part of the comparatively claustrophobic confines of that office of hers.

There was a newly walled off section and Hobbes poked his head in to discover shelving covered in books. It looked like they had finally put in that library they'd been talking about adding. That would explain why they could actually walk down here; used to be every flat surface was covered with a book or three. "They still doing the chem experiments in the laundry room?" Bobby asked as he rejoined the others in the open area. Darien had folded himself onto one of the low sofas while Gray sat stiffly at the round worktable. Alyx - Bobby settled on calling her by her work name for the moment - was limping slowly about the room, making it obvious she had stiffened up quite a bit during her nap.

"Yeah, though we're thinking of adding a new building just for the more volatile experiments. Chris has been complaining that there's not enough flexibility with the simulations, no matter how I adjust the programming," Alyx answered with a slight quirk to her lips. She set the coffee cup down on the table beside Graywolf and raised her arms over her head in an effort to stretch. An attempt that failed miserably based on the wince and the quick lowering of her arms to her sides.

"Alyx," Darien warned, doing his best to sound stern instead of worried.

One thing his partner was good at, was worrying, especially when it came to his girl, though he did do his level best to hide it most of the time. But with everything that had been happening and all of them short on sleep, everyone's emotions were very near to the surface.

"Yeah, kid, cut yourself some slack," Hobbes added, allowing only a trace of concern to be heard in his words.

"She knows her limits," Gray growled, his voice rough from lack of sleep and cutting the friendly conversation short. The seeming camaraderie of upstairs gone now that they were out of earshot of the children.

Alyx moved to stand beside her partner and set a delicate hand on his shoulder. "Xavier..." Whatever she was going to say was forgotten when he turned his head and she caught the look on his face. Instead she sighed, but didn't remove her hand. "You guys go first," she suggested as she picked up the cup to take a sip.

"Not much to tell," Darien began, that look of bitter confusion from Lincoln back on his features. "We spoke with the Randalls and... it's a dead end."

"Why do you say that?" Gray asked, his tone all business for the moment, which was a vast improvement over the rampant jealousy and anger that Bobby knew was only temporarily buried beneath the surface.

"According to her parents, everyone but Keller is dead." Hobbes ticked off his fingers as he spoke. "Lee died on a mission. Angela died during childbirth and the baby shortly afterward," he filled in. The urge to pace hit him then, but he refrained and instead rocked back and forth on his heels to relieve some of the pent up energy he was feeling.

"Okay, that jibes with what we got from Gray's contact. Lee's body was never recovered though." She paused and glanced down at her partner, who picked up the thread from there.

"There is reason to believe that Lee is alive and has a grudge against Keller, though about what is unknown at this point," Gray stated, leaning forward slightly to rest his forearms on the table. "It is also a fair bet that some, if not all, of the intel for that last mission was falsified."

"And probably used as starter for an impromptu barbecue by now," Darien grumbled, his frustration at the situation coming through loud and clear to Hobbes.

"What mission?" Hobbes inquired, hoping that it would give them some clue as to what their next move should be on this wild goose chase of a case. "And how, exactly, were Lee and Keller connected?" All they had gotten from the Randalls was that the pair had worked together, but not precisely how.

"Keller was Lee's handler. They ran some of the most successful deep cover missions in China at the time." Alyx patted Graywolf on the shoulder, set down the coffee and began to pace about the room. "They ran dozens of missions and had made contact with various underground groups, including those working with the college students who eventually revolted in hopes of gaining a more democratic government. Specifics on that mission are still considered classified, but we got the basics."

"Then what?" Darien prompted. "According to Angela's parents, Keller showed up to tell her that Lee was dead, which caused her to go into premature labor."

"Keller reported that Lee's cover had been blown, he'd been captured, tortured and killed. It was verified to the best of the department's ability. Lee was and is presumed dead," Gray elaborated. Hobbes noted the way the man's eyes tracked Alyx's limping movements about the room, which belied the casual appearance he wore.

"Presumed dead ain't the same as dead dead," Hobbes commented, which earned an amused chuckle from Alyx.

"You said it, man," Darien agreed. "So Lee _might_ be dead. Angela _is_ dead and the baby died according to the grandparents and most, if not all the paperwork related to any of this is now probably ash," Darien summed up as he ran a hand through his hair. "Can we verify _any_ of this?"

Alyx shook her head, but not as a 'no.' "Well, yes, if we can get permission to exhume two 15 year old graves and run DNA tests on the bodies." She turned about to look at Hobbes and deadpanned, "You can arrange that, right?"

"Yeah, kid, a couple of calls and I'll have a backhoe to work in hours," Bobby responded in kind.

"I'm guessing that would be not a chance in hell, then," Darien said around a grin. It was obvious that he missed the way the three of them could play off each other. Hell, Bobby would be willing to admit he missed it as well; Monroe was still far more a thorn in the side, though things had been getting better.

"No would be far more accurate, Agent Fawkes," Gray stated baldly, plainly not finding the banter the least bit amusing.

Alyx closed her eyes for a second and pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is gettin' irritatin'," she grouched. "Too much conflicting data with no easy way to weed out the crap and get to the truth. Keller knows, obviously, but it's safe to say he's the one trying to keep... whatever the secret is... secret." She made another lap around the room. "So if we don't _know_, what shall we assume?"

"Lee is alive and wants something from Keller," Gray offered up, just before Hobbes was able to do so himself. Given everything they had learned, it made the most sense.

"The question is: what does he want? We think the assassination line is bogus, right?" Darien's observations were right on target, but Bobby expected nothing less from him these days. All of them nodded in agreement of that particular assumption.

"Why now?" Alyx mused aloud in a soft voice.

Her question threw Bobby. "Huh?" He tipped his head to the side and began walking towards her; he could almost see her mind working on the problem, running through all the possible permutations and coming up blank.

Darien must have been on the same train of thought as Alyx. He slapped his thighs and nodded. "Yeah, why now? He's had 15 years to do something, what happened that suddenly made it so important that he... _had _to get to Keller now?"

"Perhaps he has simply been incarcerated all this time and was only recently released," Gray suggested.

"Could be," Hobbes acknowledged, but it just didn't _feel_ right.

"Those guys in the black pjs fought too well. They knew each other and have worked together before," Darien pointed out. "No, Lee ain't been in prison, least not recently."

"Well, revenge can usually motivate someone," Hobbes commented dryly. Fawkes still had one hell of a grudge against the Phone and the one he was nursing for Stark was turning out to be a doozy, as well.

"But if it were simple revenge, why go to Lincoln for records?" Gray asked, his fingers drumming on the table.

Alyx growled inarticulately. "It's there. I just can't _see_ it yet."

"You will, babe. Don't try to force it," Darien said with a quiet confidence. "We're still missing a few pieces to the puzzle."

Graywolf, though still seated, bristled noticeably and rounded on Darien. Hobbes could tell this was going to be anything but friendly conversation. "I would appreciate it if you would refrain from calling Agent Silver 'babe' while we are working." Gray's voice was colder than the frigid air currently outside the house.

Hobbes groaned; he'd hoped they'd get through this quick briefing without a new battle over the kid flaring up. Though he had to admit Fawkes hadn't been doing a damn thing to antagonize the far larger agent. Just being himself seemed to be enough to cause trouble.

Alyx huffed and rolled her eyes, exasperated more than anything else, it appeared, at her partner's sudden delving into proper protocol.

Darien stood up, his look calm and composed; a dead give away to Bobby that his normally laid back friend had his dander up. "And in what way does my calling Michele," The use of her real name was obviously deliberate, "'babe' affect the exchange of info we are currently engaged in?"

Bobby's eyes widened in disbelief at the same time Alyx's hand came up to hide a grin of amusement. Fawkes must have been taking lessons in oration to have come up with that piece of tripe. Graywolf's reaction involved anything but humor: his skin darkened noticeably and his hands balled into fists; one slamming down on the tabletop hard enough to cause the coffee cup to tip over and spill the remainder of its contents onto the scarred surface.

"God damn it," Alyx hissed, rushing for the laundry room presumably to grab something to clean up the spill.

"Is everything a game to you?" Graywolf roared as he stood and took a couple of menacing steps in Darien's direction. Hobbes gave his partner credit for pure insanity; he held his ground without flinching.

"Oh yeah, life's just one big party for me," Darien snarked, straightening to his full height. Even with the hair, which was drooping dramatically by this point, Fawkes still came up short in both the height and bulk department. 

Gray's entire body tensed, one hand pulling back slightly as if in preparation of throwing a punch when Alyx reappeared as if by magic.

"Don't you dare," she snapped, setting a hand on Gray's biceps. "Fighting is _not_ tolerated in this house for _any_ reason. I would expect someone in your position to set a proper example for the children and not behave like one."

Bobby was forced to smother a laugh; she sounded exactly like a cranky mom admonishing an errant five-year-old who knew better. This was apparently not lost on Fawkes, but he was incapable of keeping his trap shut today.

"Careful, or she'll send you to your room," Darien sing-songed, which made Alyx go after him next.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Alyx snarled; her patience with both men quite plainly at an end. "This is not a playground and I am _not_ the prize in some testosterone laden pissing contest. Keep it up and I'll do far worse than 'send you to your room' as you so eloquently suggested," she sneered, the glint in her eyes taking on a dangerous hue that encouraged Hobbes to step forward in the event she blew her top and reacted without thinking first. "Oh, no. I'll hold you both upside down until the blood rushes back to the correct head and you figure out how to use it again." She spun about to find Bobby standing directly behind her, ready to intervene if necessary, and missing the twin looks of concern that crossed the features of the two men now behind her. "I need to get out of here for a while."

"Go," Hobbes told her without hesitation, he could tell she was at the end of her endurance with both men. "Don't come back 'til you're ready." She gave him a grateful smile that barely touched her lips and did nothing to lessen the near-rage he could practically feel coming off her. "I'll deal with _them_." The glare he leveled at the now guilty looking pair was nothing short of deadly. "Go on," Hobbes directed, and she took off, the pain in her back being overridden by the heated anger.

"And you two," The attention of both men snapped right to Hobbes, who was using his best drill sergeants voice on them, "will clean up this mess and then hit the sack."

"But..." Graywolf tried.

"Not. A. Word." Hobbes carefully enunciated each syllable to make sure there was no chance of being misunderstood, then turned to Fawkes. "Not a single word from either of you. I may not have the kid's talents, but I'm more than capable of hanging both of you by your ankles from the second story balcony." That effectively ended any possible argument. Within minutes the mess had been cleaned up, the towels they'd used placed in the washing machine and back on the main floor.

With a nod to Mike, Graywolf made a beeline for the guestroom he was using and vanished within. Fawkes usually slept with the kid in her big old bed, but given the scene downstairs he seemed reluctant to head that way. He shuffled his feet and stared down at the floor with one hand tucked into his rear pocket.

"Sorry, Bobby," Darien mumbled softly, as if afraid Hobbes might still make good on his threatened punishment for speaking.

"Not me you need to apologize to, Fawkes," Hobbes pointed out.

"You and Gray get into it again?" Mike asked in curiosity.

"Yeah, Gray just about threw a punch at dork-for-brains here," Hobbes explained at a growl. The fact that Fawkes failed to protest the mild insult just proved to that he realized he had indeed screwed up royally and would be paying the price for a while yet.

"No wonder she bailed," Mike commented with a heavy sigh. "She went for a run, by the way. Should be back in an hour or so." He then yawned; showing it had been a long night for all of them. He must have noticed the worry even Bobby could see on Fawkes' face. "She'll be fine, her night vision is excellent, remember? Go get some sleep."

Darien shook his head and wandered over to the French doors that overlooked the snow-covered deck and backyard. False dawn was just breaking across the sky. "I'll catch a nap in the den." He turned his head slightly to focus on Mike. "Can you let her know I need to speak with her when she gets back? It's not about... what happened downstairs."

Mike nodded. "Soon as she cools down enough to actually _hear_ me, I'll pass it along." He gave both men a wave that had a decided lack of energy, and headed towards the stairs that led to his rooms over the garage.

"Fawkes..."

"It's important, Hobbes." Darien pulled that whipped puppy look out and turned its full power onto Bobby, who caved after just a few seconds.

"Fine, just get some rest, would ya? We still have work to do," Hobbes reminded him sternly.

"I will," Darien assured him and returned to staring out the glass.

With a shake of his head, Bobby left his partner standing there and wondered what could be so important that Fawkes would be willing to forgo his favorite pastime of sleep. Grumbling that he'd never understand his certifiable partner, Hobbes headed for the welcome embrace of the bed and the hope of several hours of undisturbed sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

*14*

Darien stood gazing out the window of her sitting room, quietly observing the winter wonderland down below. Though footprints and other obvious distortions marred the blanket of snow, the merry group of snow-people that had been constructed in various locations offset it, making it seem far more real than a perfect and pristine blanket of solid white would. He knew he was doing nothing more than stalling, but seemed unable to do anything about it ... yet.

He tried to settle the nervousness that had suddenly and unexpectedly invaded his stomach, making the old cliche involving butterflies a reality. Alyx moved quietly about in the next room, shedding the winter clothes she'd worn while outside burning off some excess emotions through physical activity, and changing into something more comfortable for the well heated interior of her home. Though the day was sunny, it was still cold, the temperature not expected to get out of the upper 20s. Winter's last hurrah before giving in to the warmth of spring.

He felt her step behind him, mere inches away, her body giving off a hint of chill and the scent of cold still lingering about her. He found himself silent, unable to utter the words he had decided upon when he saw her sleeping in the chair next to her son, guarding and caring for him all in the same simple-seeming action.

"You wanted to talk?" Alyx asked softly. "Darien?"

"Yeah, I did." He turned to face her, his hands coming up to cup her cheeks, and smiling as her eyes closed and she sighed in reaction. Her simple action helped him to find the courage he needed, for the stubborn blockage in his throat to loosen and for those fluttering insects to find perches from which to observe the goings on. "Michele, would you marry me?" he blurted out the words so quickly he wasn't sure if she understood him or not. Though it took him less than a second to realize that she indeed had.

"Ah, Dare, you did not just say what I think you said, did you?" she questioned with a sigh, which was definitely not the response he was hoping for. Darien felt dread curl into a cold, hard lump, replacing the former fluttering occupants in his stomach at her unexpected non-answer and found he was only able to nod.

Alyx was quick to reassure him. "I'm not saying _no_, just a bit surprised is all." 

Darien did his best to not react and allow the cautious surge of joy to show on his face even though it was a fair bet she could still pick it up. There wasn't a whole lot he could do about that. Her next words worried him, however.

"I have something to tell you, and it might cause you to reconsider."

"'Chele, that's not gonna to happen," Darien insisted even as she moved his hands away and stepped back slightly.

"Hear me out first." She waved at the nearby sofa. "Sit, please." When he didn't move she took one of his hands and led him over, she made it plain that nothing would happen until he had settled into the cushions. "Darien, you will be more than welcome to ask me again, but only after I've said my piece. And I promise you there will be no hard feelings if you change your mind."

"Not likely," he muttered, making one last effort at disagreement before settling back in the seat to listen to her.

"What are your intentions? House with the white picket fence, a dog, two point five kids?" Alyx asked him in all seriousness.

"Kids? Yeah, eventually." Just the thought of kids with her was enough to make his heart pound with more happiness than any single human deserved to feel in a lifetime. And the accompanying mental image of her with belly rounded as she carried their child was almost too much for him to handle. Oh, he was aware of the complications, but for the chance... He'd do just about anything.

"Darien, I can't have any more children." When he found himself unable to anything more than blink at her in confusion she added, "Come on, did you ever once notice any feminine hygiene products' in any of my bathrooms? Did I ever once say no' without a very good reason, usually involving a major injury?" She suppressed a smile, poorly, as they both knew injuries didn't always slow them down, never mind stop them. "Did you ever once wear a, umm... protective suit?"

Darien groaned in consternation and embarrassment. Now that she had pointed it out, he did indeed realize all those little signs had been missing. Especially that last one. "I just figured..."

"That I had taken care of it. Sometimes you are such a male, Darien." She shook her head and smiled, making sure he knew she wasn't angry. She stood several feet away with her hands clasped behind her back and was, oddly enough, giving off an air of discomfort.

"How? What happened?" Darien asked once his mind had wrapped itself about her statements and had at least partially absorbed the meaning. With four kids running around, the last thing he had expected to hear from her was that she couldn't get pregnant.

"Jess happened." Alyx backed away and turned slightly to pace the breadth of the small room. Darien felt his blood boil at those words. He had this thing about abusers after several experiences friends of his had gone through. Since reuniting with Michele, he'd learned that her former husband had psychologically and physically abused her for years. If it wasn't for the fact the man was quite dead, he'd be tempted to return the favor.

"I... You know..." She seemed to stumble over the words and was unable to face him for the moment. He knew not to push; she would tell him in her own time. She sucked in a deep breath and after releasing it raggedly began, "About six months after Rose was born I pissed off Jess. It couldn't have been anything major since I don't even remember what it was over. Just another of his convenient excuses." 

She managed a glance over at Darien, which he caught out of the corner of his eye, but he was slouched down on the sofa, staring off into the distance, his seemingly relaxed posture belying the emotions roiling just below the surface. "I hadn't been feeling all that well for several months, and Jess had been trying to isolate me even more than usual. Not wanting my family to see the kids at all, especially Mikey."

"You don't have to tell me this." Darien's voice was so soft that the average person would not have heard him, but he knew she would, and had. 

She moved to stand in front of him. "Yes, I do. I _need_ to, Darien, okay?"

He took her hands into his, but did nothing more. He was surprised at how calm she was. "Whatever you need," he told her in all seriousness. He had only the slightest inkling of how hard this was for her, but if this was what she felt needed to be done, then he would support her in it.

She gave his hands a squeeze and then continued. "He'd found out about a week before that I was working again, though he had apparently decided to wait to confront me about it. It wasn't much, just doing some programming for a few locals, but he was less than happy about it. Whatever set him off..." She paused, shaking her head. "I wouldn't back down and he made his point with his fists. When I began to hemorrhage, it actually scared him and he rushed me to the hospital." Alyx sank to the floor in front of Darien, the pain of the memories that surely had been called up showing on her face. "It turned out I was about four months pregnant. A gift from another night Jess had been angry with me."

"Oh, crap. Michele, I'm sorry." He shifted off the sofa, settling beside her, intending to pull her close and offer what little comfort he could at this late date, but she backed away from him.

"They knocked me out pretty quick once they realized exactly what the problem was, so I had all the blanks filled in later. Three days later, in fact." She gave him a wry smile. "The twins hadn't had a chance even though the docs tried."

"Twins?" Darien sounded about as heartbroken as he could get, considering he had been involved in no way at all.

But either Alyx missed it or just waved it off as unneeded emotions. At a guess she'd dealt with the loss a long time ago and had moved on. "Yeah, boys, and the early delivery combined with Jess' choice for target practice that time around led to all sorts of complications. In the end the doctors gave him a choice. Full hysterectomy or they could do reconstructive surgery and give me a good chance of having more children."

"So what did he do?" Darien found himself oddly curious and needing to know the somewhat macabre details of this episode in her life.

"His warped mind managed to come up with choice number three and he told them to do what was necessary to save my life and no more. It left me gifted with so much scar tissue that the chances of getting pregnant are less than zero." She looked down at the floor, almost as if embarrassed to tell him the truth. "He made sure that I knew it was another lesson, a reminder, his way of telling me he'd won. That time at least."

The silence stretched between them for long minutes, neither of them quite sure what to say next.

"'Chele, its been a few years, maybe... maybe they can do something for you." Not the best way to restart the conversation, perhaps, but it was better than the silence.

She patted him on the cheek and gave him a lopsided smile. "Sweet. So sweet. I have looked into it as recently as a year ago. So far even the experimental techniques stand little chance of helping me. Not much they can do about scar tissue." She was able to meet his eyes finally and he could see the old pain buried within their depths.

"Jacob?" he suggested, as he slowly let the reality of her words sink in. 

"He keeps his eyes open for me, it's how I know about the experimental stuff," she explained. "Darien?"

He suddenly realized his silence had given her the wrong impression. She must be doing her best to not read him, to not let his feelings influence her. He reached out to her and she went to him with a sigh, curling up in his arms. "Would you even want to have more kids? You have four wonderful ones and with what... Jess put you through I'd understand if you'd rather not."

"Dare, I'd be... honored to have your children. It's just not in the cards right now. Possibly not ever." She buried her face into his chest as he wrapped his arms tighter about her. After a few minutes he released her and she got slowly to her feet and moved over to the window while he drew his legs in to sit cross-legged with his back against the sofa.

While not thrilled with the news or by how it had happened, he at least understood why she chose not to answer his question, hell, his proposal until after he knew. Why she had given him an out. 

"Well, we could always adopt, I suppose," Darien suggested, with enough seriousness in his voice so that she'd know it was not a joke or him being facetious about this ever so delicate subject.

She spun about and stared at him. "Adoption," she mumbled. Then again louder, "Adoption. Oh, hell, that's it."

"Huh? What's it?" Darien looked at her in confusion, noting she'd gone in to full work mode.

"What Lee's after. Damn, it makes sense now." She was practically bouncing in place with... whatever it was her mind had come up with this time.

Darien got to his feet and went to her. "What did you figure out?"

"Okay, we're pretty sure Lee's alive. We've got the bruises to back that one up. He said he found what he needed, remember? In the adoption section." Alyx looked up at him as if she expected the tidbit of information would be enough for his jet lagged and sleep deprived brain.

"Yeah, but we found nothing, especially once those others torched the place," Darien reminded her.

She shook her head. "Doesn't matter. Assume the baby is alive." When he tried to argue she set a hand on his chest to silence him. "Keller had power even back then. He could have switched Angela's live daughter for another and paid off the doctors." She must have seen it in his eyes when he caught on. "Lee's not going after Keller to kill him. He just wants to find his daughter."

"That would explain why her parents were told to never mention the trio." Darien was indeed thinking now, and after everything that had happened so far, he would not be surprised to learn her postulation was true. "And he was... is looking for proof the same as us. So how do w_e_ prove it?"

"We find the girl." She started pacing, moving past him almost as if she had forgotten he was there. "We know Keller has a wife and two kids, but he's kept them out of the lime light and none of my or Gray's contacts has been able to find out where they are. We need to find the trail."

"The paper trail to the family. You can do that from here?" Darien didn't want to interrupt her train of thought.

"Not easily. My resources here are focused elsewhere. Can't ask anyone in D.C. without raising more cane there." She tapped one sock-clad foot on the floor as she mulled the problem. Almost as one they looked at each other and spoke one word.

"Eberts."

Alyx immediately headed for the door of the room, probably fully intending to go to her office and the use the secure phone line there, but was stopped by Darien slipping quickly in front of her and blocking her way.

"Where ya going?" he asked with a slight grin. He knew full well where she was off to in such a hurry. Sometimes she epitomized the term "one track mind." Well, on this occasion it was his place to derail it.

"To call Eberts, what else?" she very nearly snapped at him. It was quite plain she wanted to get moving on this, now.

"Silly, let the poor man sleep. It's not even dawn there, yet." He was hard pressed not to laugh when she pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. Setting a hand on her arm, he steered her back towards the window, wanting to return to their original conversation. "We'll turn his royal geekness loose on the problem after he gets to work. All right?"

"Of course. I wasn't thinking... again," she agreed.

Darien shook his head at her. She was thinking about getting the job done, like always, and that was never a bad thing. His mood turned serious again, he ran over what she had told him and came to the conclusion that it made little or no difference in the way he felt about her. They would face enough challenges on their own and, with the way the world spun about them the problem might very well sort itself out on its own given time. "Michele," he went down on one knee, taking her tiny hands in to his. "Would you marry me?"

Michele looked down at him, the use of her real name seeming to surprise her for this most startling of questions he could ever pose to her. "Who are you asking? Michele or Alyx?"

"I'm asking _you_, Michele Alexandra MacTierney, to be my wife," Darien told her without a seconds hesitation. He was picking up just enough from her to know she felt the answer to her question was of great import to her.

"Then, yes. I'd be honored to marry you, Darien Fawkes." 

With a whoop of joy he got to his feet, lifted her up, and spun about for several turns, before stopping and planting a firm kiss on her lips. It quickly softened as her arms came up to wrap about his neck, her hands burying themselves in his hair. He shifted his hold so that she was far more secure in his arms, but she yelped and twisted away, nearly causing him to drop her.

She pressed her forehead to his shoulder, panting and trying not to wince. "Wrong spot there, bub. My back's still a mess, remember?"

"Ah hell," He gently lowered her to her feet and then had to support her as her knees tried to buckle in reaction to the pain. "Sorry, Alyx."

His sudden reversion to her middle name made her chuckle even as she groaned in pain. "You want to know a secret?"

As he helped her slowly walk into her bedroom, where she lay on her stomach on the bed he answered, "Let me guess, you've been married before."

Her chuckle became a full-blown laugh at that. He knew damn well that, technically, he'd be her third husband. Thinking about it for a moment, he realized he would also technically be her first. Jess had been living under a false identity, thus voiding the vows and her marriage to Piotr had been staged, her standing in for a dead woman. And if that didn't just epitomize how weird their lives were, nothing would.

Once she was settled, he slid up her shirt and began to examine her back to make certain he hadn't reopened her injury in his enthusiasm. "Go on. Tell me all your secrets."

"Remember last summer, before I had the memories back, how I'd get rather... irritated whenever anyone called me Alyx?" She turned her head so that she could watch him through slitted eyes.

"Hmm, oh, yeah. Pissed you off more than a bit." He was partially distracted as he peeled up the bandage to check her in more detail. There'd been no visible blood, but one could never be too careful. The bruise alone, now that it had had a couple of days to blossom to full color, was frightening enough, but the welts that been broken open looked horrible even though they appeared to be healing well. He was just thankful he'd done no serious damage... this time.

"Didn't you ever wonder why?" When he met her eyes it was obvious she could see the query in them, saving him from having to voice it aloud. "Twins, especially twins like me and Mikey, have a very unique connection, and for a time when we were young we considered ourselves one person. When mom called one of us, we both answered. We couldn't see the difference and refused to understand why there should be a one."

"Like... how you sometimes get lost? Uh, you get too deep into the other person and can't break away without help." He knew he sounded unsure, but she nodded.

"A good analogy. The solution my parents came up with was to call me by my middle name and Mikey by his first until we got it through our thick heads that we were two separate people and not two halves of one." Alyx twitched as he probed gently at the bruises, making sure they were still nothing but bruises. When he set the bandage back in place she continued, "It worked, and by the time we started school, we were... trained to the different names. But I hated it; hated being called Alyx. Mikey started calling me Chele one day a year or so later and it stuck; my parents allowed Alyx to fall out of use and the name Chele to stay."

Darien began massaging the tight muscles of her back, being cautious around the bruises, but hitting them as well. For an instant he wondered who she preferred doing this, Graywolf or himself, then shook off those thoughts as foolish. She'd just agreed to marry him; it would be rather idiotic to go and get jealous of the other man' now.

"So Mike rescued you from being called Alyx for the rest of your days. Doesn't quite explain your reaction," Darien commented as he continued to work on her back, doing his best to reduce the knots and kinks that had formed since she'd finished her stretches earlier.

"Be glad you didn't have three brothers growing up." she growled softly. "They used that name to tease me, even Mikey on occasion, though he knew exactly how much I hated it. It took me coming up with some very creative and catchy nicknames for all three to convince them to drop it. By then just the sound of the name - even for someone else - made my skin crawl." 

Darien paused his ministrations and lay down next to her, propped up on his elbow. She rotated and matched his position. "Wait a minute... If you hated the name so much why'd you pick it for yourself at... at the Agency?"

"'Cause it fit. You remember how bad off I was at first." Her tone was soft, almost sad.

"Yeah, I remember. You hated it." Something clicked then. "You picked a name you hated cause you hated your situation."

"And myself," she added in a tiny voice.

While not surprised at her words, he realized he had forgotten exactly how very unhappy and out of place she'd felt the first few months. "It must have driven you nuts to have us calling you that."

She shook her head carefully, not wanting to tip herself over. "Not really. It was what I deserved, or so I reasoned. I wasn't exactly feeling like myself at the time."

"And now? You still get called Alyx more often than Michele these days." He shifted a bit closer to her, his free hand coming up to wander lightly across her face.

"Oh, I got used to it. Kinda liked hearing it from a few people." She gave him shy grin. "Though I have to admit I prefer having you call me Michele. Glad you finally got to meet her... me." She closed her eyes for a moment, looking exhausted to Darien. It had been a long couple of days for all of them and didn't look to be slowing down anytime in the near future. Best to take advantage of this quiet interlude and enjoy it as best they could. "You have no idea how much I wanted to tell you. How many times I tried, only to chicken out. I guess I was afraid you wouldn't like _me_ once you'd had Alyx."

She had a point. There were subtle differences in her behavior depending on _who_ she was being. On the surface Alyx was far harder, far more secretive than Michele. But then again, Alyx had a lot of secrets to keep, a family to protect, and a very dangerous job to do. And while some of those elements spilled over into Michele, they were far less obvious, became secondary or tertiary characteristics. It was similar to watching Bobby get deep into an undercover role, or into his off-time persona of a textile manufacturer. Bobby was still there, but so far under the surface it went unnoticed by all but those who really knew him.

"'Chele, please tell me you know different now? That I want to marry you, all of you, and not just some face you put on."

"I know, but it's not going to be easy. We go through with this and you will have to be just as careful as me. More so. With Arnaud and Chrysalis always knocking at your door, we don't dare risk them learning you're married. Bad enough if they learned you were married to Alyx Silver, but if they connect you to me, to Michele, they could find the kids." Alyx frowned, not about her acceptance of his proposal he knew, but at the numerous complications that were now coming to mind. "Damn. We can't tell anyone. We won't even be able to live together."

Darien flopped back on the bed with a groan. "Crap. It can never be easy for us, can it?"

"Easy? Where's the challenge in easy?" she snickered, then sobered. "Ugh, I have to tell Mikey... and the kids."

"Uh, the kids already know." When her eyebrows shot up, he forced himself to only smile instead of burst out laughing. "I kinda asked for permission from them. There was no way I was just gonna barge into this family."

Alyx laughed softly. "I should have known. What, if any, was the commentary?"

"Rose asked what took me so damn long. And that's a quote, by the way. She has got quite a mouth on her." Darien relaxed slightly, though was still not thrilled with how complex this was going to get. Just dating her had been complicated enough, this was looking to triple the potential problems. It would be worth it, though. Anything would be worth the knowledge that she was his. "Bobby already said he'd help. I'm sure he'd help keep it a secret. What about Gray?"

Alyx sighed deeply. "I don't know. He's angry and confused about... hell, about everything. Angry and jealous over you, pissed that I hadn't told him about you being able to Quicksilver, upset he didn't know about the kids, and that I lied about who I was." She trailed off, the hurt involving her partner quite plainly returning and showing on her face. "I've already given him his out when this mission is complete. It's up to him now."

"You really like him don't you." He knew it wasn't quite that simple, much like his relationship with Bobby wasn't that simple. With Alyx, because of what she was, the process that had taken Darien and Bobby nearly a year had taken far less time for her and Gray. He'd seen the way they worked together, listened to her talk about him and the rest of their unit, they were already to that point where the trust was natural and they could anticipate each other's moves and reactions. It bothered him that Graywolf was willing to throw it away.

"Yeah, I do." She rolled then, to rest her chin on his chest. "Jealous?"

"Not for a second." A hand found its way into her hair, twining with the bright coils. "I can see how you fit together. Do you trust him?"

"With my life." Complete honesty.

"Then trust him with all of you. He won't betray you or the kids. It's not in him," Darien assured her with amazing confidence in his voice.

"When did you become so damn observant?" Alyx asked, her eyes drifting shut as his touch worked its magic upon her and encouraged her to relax.

"Hey, I _am_ a thief. If I'm not observant, I'm caught." He saw her sleepy smile even as her eyes closed and her head tipped over until his chest was doing double duty as a pillow.

She chuckled warmly. "Yeah, I'd say you're caught." Her words were slightly slurred as she slipped towards slumber. "Hope you can live with it."

Darien waited until he was sure she was out before replying. "Oh yeah, for a _very_ long time."


	15. Chapter 15

*15*

It was with the feeling that something was chasing her; that its clawed hand was reaching for her, about to grasp her and pull her into its deadly embrace that Alyx twitched awake. 

"Whoa, easy there, sweetheart," Darien soothed, his hand upon her back holding her steady as she returned to consciousness far faster than she liked. "Bad dream?"

"I think so?" Alyx grumbled as she shifted to look at him and noted the book he'd set aside when she'd woken abruptly. "Didn't you sleep?"

"Yep, woke up about an hour ago when Dani poked her head in to check up on us," he assured her. "Said we should be doing something more carnal." Darien laughed softly when she blushed bright red. "Anything in the dream I need to know about?"

Alyx thought about it, but the impressions were vague at best and didn't seem to have the insistence that typically came with a Quicksilver inspired dream. "Nah, just a dream." She slid up his body and gave him a quick kiss. "We will have time, you know."

"Huh?" Darien blinked at her in confusion and she reached out to tap the book. Heinlein's _Time Enough for Love_, one of her favorites, which is why the much dog-eared copy lived on the nightstand.

Darien picked it up and thumbed through a few pages. "I haven't read this one in years, I'd forgotten how good it is and how very differently he saw the world." He closed it and set it back in its place. "Not a wimp in the lot... well, the few there were died off quick enough. Nominees for the Darwin Awards." He buried his hands in her hair, his thumbs brushing along her temples and making her sigh softly. "Course we'll have time. It's what makes all of this worth it, right?"

"Definitely," she agreed, then looked over at the clock, noting it was well after 11 am. "Crap, we've got work to do."

"Yep, but at least now we're a bit more awake and hopefully less grouchy." This time Darien kissed her, his lips barely brushing along hers as if unsure of the reception. "Sorry about earlier," he apologized, sounding truly contrite. "Graywolf is your partner, and I'll do my best to give him the respect he deserves. He just..." He trailed off with a headshake.

"I know, and I won't expect you to _not_ react, but keep in mind I don't need you to defend me, okay?" She pushed herself slowly into a seated position; pleased she was nowhere near as stiff as she had expected to be.

He closed his hand about her left one. "Wish I had a ring for you," he murmured. "Can't even manage to do the proposal thing right."

"It was wonderful, Darien, and you know I don't need a silly ring. I'd much rather have you." Alyx waggled her eyebrows in parody of lasciviousness and was graced with a warm chuckle from him.

"Hey, we could always do like that couple in _Spy Kids_ and retire for a decade or so," Darien suggested with amusement lighting up his eyes.

"Hell yes," she asserted, even though they both knew it was nothing more than an idle fantasy. Being able to spend time together without worries or constraints was a rare event, and wouldn't get any easier as time wore on.

"Work?" he asked, the grin still in place.

Alyx sighed dramatically. "Work," she agreed. "To the not-so-secret office, I-Man." She slid off the bed and stood there while Darien collapsed in laughter. The smile that crossed her features felt wonderful, hell, she felt wonderful. Being here with Darien made it so. Time enough, indeed.

***

The phone rang three times before being picked up some 3,000 miles away with a cool, "_The Agency_." And once again Alyx was thankful for being able to dial the Official's office direct and not have to go through the Fish and Game runaround to talk to the right people.

"Hey, Ebes. How's it hanging?" Alyx knew what effect that would have on the shy man at the other end; she could picture the blush creeping up his cheeks and across the top of his balding pate.

Eberts sputtered for several seconds before managing to string enough words together to create an entire sentence. "_Miss Silver, nice to hear from you_."

"Same here, Ebes, playing musical e-mail just isn't the same. I'm afraid it's business this time. I need a favor." Alyx got right to business, knowing there was little time to waste if they were going to solve this mystery.

"_We_ need a favor," Darien corrected, from where he sat in front of a nearby computer playing a rousing game of Klondike.

"Yes, sir," she snarked back at him, getting a profile of his tongue as he stuck it out at her. "As Darien has so sarcastically pointed out... we need a favor. It has to do with this assignment we're all on and I'm pretty much cut off from my usual sources."

"_Of course, Miss Silver. How can I be of assistance_?" Eberts responded without hesitation.

"Thanks, Eberts. I'll be sending you the detailed info in moments." She tapped a few keys, calling up the information she'd uploaded from her laptop and onto the main system at her house. "Short version: we need to locate Harrison Keller's family."

"_Oh, is that all_?" Eberts questioned with obvious humor in his voice. "_Can I assume you have no leads_?"

"Not a one, but if anyone can ferret out a cold paper trail, it's you," Alyx said persuasively, knowing that a little ego stroking would go a long way with Eberts. Besides, it was true enough. Not only could he squeeze money from granite for the Agency's terminally withering coffers, but he could follow the barest of hints from off shore accounts to holding companies and right back to the original source.

Across the intervening distance Alyx heard the Official ask, "_Who's gonna pay for this_?"

"Bill it to the Special Task Force. If they won't cover it, I'll take it out of my unit budget. Will that do?" Alyx offered with a look that made Darien chuckle.

Eberts passed the offer on to the Official, who grunted his approval. _"I should have something for you in 24 hours. If that is all right with you_?"

"That'd be great, Albert. _I_ owe you for this," Alyx told him with all due sincerity. She knew that her old friend was going to be pulling extra long hours in order to gather whatever data there was to find so quickly. "Call any hour, Ebes, we never close here."

Darien snorted, quit the game and swiveled his chair about to watch her.

She gave him a mischievous smile and spoke up again, "Darien says 'hi'." Alyx tried not to laugh at the feigned anger on his face. "And says he can't wait to get back to San Diego." She hit 'send' to transfer the data to the Agency and slid the chair backward across the floor as Darien came after her. She held him off until she ran into the file cabinets lining one entire wall. A short battle for the phone ensued, with Darien eventually winning and prying the cordless handset form her while she laughed.

"Hiya, Ebes, just ignore her. All the medication is making her delirious again." Darien's eyes widened much to Alyx's surprise. "No, no, no. Really, she's fine. Some bruises and some... Sir." He groaned and mouthed 'the 'Fish' at her. "Yes, sir, a full report." He yanked the phone away from his ear, and even she could hear the Official bellowing from across the country. He tried in desperation to hand the phone to her, but she backed away shaking her head in an emphatic no. He'd made this bed and he could lie in it. When the sound died down he gingerly moved it back towards his ear; his look making it plain he was ready to yank it away at a moments notice. "Sir... Crap," Darien muttered, pleading with Alyx by look alone for help.

Taking pity on him she faked a handset with her fingers and said sotto voce, "Another call... important."

Darien brightened immensely at that idea. "Gotta go, boss-man. Got a call on the other line. No, no it's from Franklin and I gotta take it. Bye." He pressed the disconnect button with a sigh of relief and eyed Alyx. "Gee, thanks for the rescue there." He moved back over to the desk and placed the handset back in its cradle.

Alyx stood and rolled the chair back into place. "You're a big boy." She grinned, enjoying his remaining discomfiture. "'Sides, it was fun watching you squirm."

"'Chele," he whined, doing his best to look pitiful.

"Awww, poor puppy," she mimicked his tone perfectly, and went to him. Going up on her toes she kissed him. "How about brunch, bub? Looks like we got time to kill."

"Feed me and I'm yours forever," Darien responded with a look of ecstasy on his face.

"What happens if I feed you after midnight? Do you turn into something nasty?" Alyx joked as they left the office and headed back upstairs.

Darien showed her his right wrist, the snake still a brilliant and unchanging green. "Not a chance."

"Darn," she mock complained. "Your inner gremlins can be fun to play with." She trotted up the stairs, but stopped about three-quarters of the way up when she realized he hadn't followed. "Dare?"

"So my permanent Gizmo status not good enough for you?" he asked, and she could feel that he was mildly upset about her comment, which was not what she had intended to have happen.

Alyx walked back down the steps until they were eye-to-eye. "Of course it is. I couldn't be happier for you, but I just... I want you to know you can be yourself around me. Sometimes it feels like you're holding back, trying to make up for things that happened between us in the past. When you... used to do the gremlins routine." She set her hands on his shoulders and slid them back until her forehead rested against his. "You've _never_ hurt me before and won't now." She made certain he could feel that she meant every word; that whatever had happened before had done nothing to cause her any _real_ pain, and had in no way affected how she felt about him.

Darien sighed, the tension draining from his body. "You sure?"

"Very," she answered.

"Good," he whispered, "'Cause I got a few ideas I've been wanting to play with."

"Oh really?" Alyx arched an eyebrow, her body reacting to the mellow huskiness of his voice.

"Really," Darien assured her, his breath warm on her cheek. His hands found her hips and gently caressed them. "I have these silk ropes I've been saving for a _long_ weekend."

Alyx's heart began to pound in response to what he was implying, partly out of fear she had to admit, but far more out of excitement. "I can't wait to break them in," she told him, which caused him to growl deep in his chest and pull her close for a quite thorough kiss. If it weren't for the fact her back was still not up to an energetic horizontal mambo she'd have marched him right back down the stairs and made an impromptu dance floor amongst the tables. His stomach rumbling loudly broke the moment, and she leaned back a bit to look down upon the offending organ. "Food?"

"Ummm, yes. We'll have other chances, sweets."

"Yes," she agreed. "We will."

***

_Brunch_ dragged on until nearly two in the afternoon, as people woke up and wandered out to the kitchen for food. There was a little bit of everything: pancakes, eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, toast with jam and fresh fruit. Alyx and Darien handled the majority of the cooking and cleaning with a surprising coordination and a comfortable companionship that she reveled in. When everyone was pretty much settled and the dishwasher doing the really hard work, the four agents made their way out onto the snow covered deck for a semi-private conversation that would allow her to pass along her little revelation of earlier that morning.

"So you really think the kid is alive?" Hobbes inquired.

"It fits, man," Darien pointed out, his breath fogging on the chilly air.

"That it does," Graywolf agreed from where he stood a few feet away as he looked out over the yard. "Is this... Eberts, reliable?"

Hobbes snorted, his overall opinion of Eberts well known to Alyx. "He's an annoying geek, but, yeah, he'll get us the info... if it's there to get." He turned to face her. "What if even he can't find the trail?"

"Plan B?" Darien suggested with an irrepressible smirk.

"Which would be..." Hobbes prompted.

Alyx sighed. "Head back to DC and do a little invisible sneak and peek." She hated that it might become necessary to go poking in other people's minds on this mission... Hell, on _any_ mission, but she knew it was part of the job to use _all_ of her abilities in order to achieve the best resolution possible, even with man and Murphy doing their level best to screw things up. Her unique talents gave her an extra edge in the fight to keep the world safe, or at least she kept trying to convince herself. Good thing there was one person who understood and that she could commiserate with when she was indeed forced to go prying into others' minds. As if he'd heard that thought, Mike stepped through the doors and onto the deck with a cup of coffee held between his hands.

"Almost warm today," he observed, tipping his head up to glance at the watery sunlight filtering its way through the thin layer of clouds. His heavy black sweater obviously intensified the effect of what little heat the sun was giving off. Of course, the fact that he had a very high tolerance for cold had _nothing_ to do with it.

"Oh you," Alyx huffed, shivering in her turtleneck, sweater and Gore-Tex jacket. "I swear you could walk through a blizzard in your shorts and complain it was too warm."

"And you feel chilled if it drops below 80 degrees." Mike chuckled. "It's sad, really."

"Sounds like a good reason to move back to southern California, if you ask me," Darien casually mentioned in perfect innocence.

Hobbes rolled his eyes and shook his head with a grin that Alyx forced herself _not_ to emulate. There'd been many a cold winter's night that she'd entertained that very idea.

"Good thing no one did, isn't it." Gray at least attempted to keep his voice bland, but it was obvious he was just spoiling for another fight with Darien. "And I doubt our superiors would approve of such a move."

"That's putting it mildly." Alyx was forced to agree. She had a fair idea of the backroom maneuvering and knee breaking that had taken place for her to end up at the CIA instead of a half-dozen other agencies who had wanted her. Some well known; like the NSA, DOD, FBI, DOJ, and even the DOI. Others were so under the table that they made the Agency look like daily front-page news. Given what she was, she was able to make a few demands of her own, and though she'd been unable to wangle her way back into the Agency, she had gotten her second choice - the CIA - where her brother worked.

This allowed them to alternate schedules and reduce reliance on outside security to watch the kids. Oh, there would always be security about; they were always watched, but there was no longer the need for a live-in agent cum housekeeper. Just subtle patrols and a security system most small countries would go bankrupt paying for, and that even Darien had approved of.

"CIA's not so bad," she finally admitted. "But it wasn't my first choice, by any means." She rubbed the side of her face, where an odd tingling sensation made her head buzz in a very irritating manner.

"So we are to just sit and wait for this Eberts to do our work for us?" Gray questioned, plainly not liking the idea of doing nothing for yet another day.

"Well, we could head down to DC and try to stir up some trouble. Plane or driving, it'll still be a good six hours before we got there. By then it'd be the middle of the night and we'd have to wait 'til morning to get anything of value done. About the same time we finally started banging on doors Eberts, would be calling here with the intel," Hobbes pointed out.

Graywolf grumbled under his breath, but didn't have a comeback for that one.

Alyx walked over to him, her feet kicking up the couple of inches of snow that had been blown onto the deck and set a hand on his forearm. "Look at it this way, I get an extra day to rest and recover."

"Yes, and you _need_ it," Gray declared, plainly not about to allow any argument from her on the matter.

In truth, she wasn't about to give him any; her back was killing her and she needed at least two days before she was running up to par. She would just have to make do with the single extra day she was going to get. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as the buzz upped its volume and tossed in some dizziness for added flavor.

"'Chele, you okay?" Darien queried in concern.

"Uh, huh," she responded, not entirely sure what was going on in her head this time. It felt like she had grabbed a hold of a high-tension wire and was getting a power high off it.

She was determined to not let it distract her from the task at hand. 

"Agent... Michael, I understand the use of a false name in the field - Alyx uses one as well - but why... Corvan?" Gray sounded truly curious and interested, for which Alyx was eminently thankful. Maybe some normal conversation would give everyone a chance to get to know each other better. At the very least he should find the answer amusing.

Mike brushed some snow off the patio table and set his coffee cup down. "Believe it or not, it's a typo."

"A typo?" Hobbes repeated in disbelief.

"Yep," Alyx agreed with a chuckle. "But considering they wanted him to use _Prometheus_, Corvan is a vast improvement."

Mike shot a mock glare in her direction, making her grin unrepentantly. "Prometheus... Could they have been more over the top?" Alyx was prepared to answer, but was prevented by his, "Don't bother; we all know they could." He turned back to Graywolf. "It was supposed to be Cor_b_an. Greek name for 'a gift devoted to god.' I tossed in Mikas as a first name, but accounting screwed it up. So I've been 'Mikas Corvan' ever since."

Graywolf nodded in apparent understanding. "Greek names seem to a running theme for this QSX Project. Alyx uses Cassandra when we are in the field."

Hobbes did such an impressive double-take that Alyx very nearly laughed out loud.

"_You're Cassandra_?" Hobbes blurted out the question in honest-seeming shock.

"You didn't know?" Gray frowned, clearly wondering if he had made an error in judgement.

"Hell no. Damn, kid, your exploits are swiftly becoming the stuff of legend." Bobby sounded far more impressed than he should as far as she was concerned. She'd just been doing her job after all.

Darien poked his hand up. "Umm, at the risk of learning someone else's secret identity, I gotta ask... huh?"

"Fawkes, your girl here has gotten into the bad habit of freakin' her targets by leaving warning messages lying about," Hobbes explained with more than a touch of awe in his voice. "Several have reportedly mentioned the notes and the fact that they didn't believe them when finally caught."

"Oh jeeze," Alyx groused. "It's not that big a deal, and has been blown _way_ out of proportion."

"The first occasion she used the tactic, she was trying to warn Russian scientist Dimitri Lebrofsky about his impending arrest. It has worked on other missions with equal success," Graywolf added, plainly not about to let Alyx downplay her achievement.

"Cool," Darien stated simply and with sincerity. 

"So you have no complaints that you didn't know she was Cassandra?" Gray seemed to find this hard to swallow.

Darien glanced over at Alyx before meeting her partner's eyes and answering. "It's part of the biz, right? Keeping secrets when needed?"

"Yeah, it is, my friend," Hobbes acknowledged. "An' it ain't always easy keeping your trap shut, even when you know it's necessary, but you do it or you get out quick as you can."

Alyx wanted to add her own two cents, but instead found her concentration torn away from the men about her and focused on the sudden overwhelming roar of noise in her mind. She closed her eyes; her hands coming up to press against her temples, as she tried in desperation to increase her shielding... with no obvious results whatsoever. If anything, it had the opposite effect, and instead of blocking the rush of sound caused it to increase tenfold and resolve into voices... thousands of voices; a mumbling, muttering cacophony all vying for her immediate attention and all wanting it _right now_.

She whimpered, blindly staggered away from Xavier and went to her knees. In a vague sort of way she heard him ask if she was all right, but was completely and utterly unable to focus enough to answer. "Get out of my head," she pleaded, not sure if she had managed to say the words aloud or not. She was rewarded, but not in the way she had hoped. Everything she was _hearing_ she unwittingly began to broadcast to everyone nearby. Her eyes snapped open in time to see Mikey stagger back at the unexpected onslaught.

"Shit," Hobbes swore, one hand going to his forehead in reaction, while Darien grimaced in obvious pain.

"Mikey?" She had no idea what was happening, and even less of one about how to stop it. Nothing she tried had an appreciable affect on quieting the multitude that had invaded her mind.

Mike could feel Michele trying to stop her rogue abilities, with no success. Whatever was happening was completely outside her realm of control. He waved the others away as they all surged towards her in a vain attempt to help, regardless of the discomfort or the potential danger. "Don't, she'll just pull you in if you get too close." He turned to Darien, certain he would understand what needed to be done, even if it was with a decided sense of resignation. Darien only made it a couple of steps, as Dani appeared in the doorway as if by magic; her eyes wide in shock and holding a pre-filled syringe.

"Sedative," she announced, her doubled shielding doing little to silence the teeming masses yearning to be free in her head courtesy of her mother, at least based on the high level of unhappiness the girl was broadcasting. She held the syringe out to Darien. "It should quiet her a little."

"I hope so," Hobbes grouched, his eyes squinting in reaction. He was clearly not used to this type of thing, which was more than understandable as dealing with high-powered psis was rare enough to begin with.

"Mike..." Darien paused a few steps away from 'Chele, the obvious question not needing to be voiced aloud.

"You're more used to dealing with this than me," Mike pointed out. He was actually afraid to go anywhere near 'Chele at the moment, out of fear of having his mind swallowed up by hers, and perhaps never finding his way back out. Darien, Hobbes and even Graywolf didn't face the same risk, as their psychic abilities were limited at best.

Darien nodded and strode right over to her with no hesitation. He went to his knees beside her, seemingly impervious to the powerful broadcasting of Michele's mind. He pulled her to him so that her forehead rested against the curve of his shoulder and spoke softly to her. "Easy, babe, don't fight it."

She shuddered violently for a few seconds, and then relaxed a bit, which did indeed help to reduce the volume in Mike's aching skull. He watched as Darien gently moved her hair aside and deftly injected the contents of the syringe into the large vein in the side of her neck. In second's she had sagged in his hold, and the voices faded to a tolerable level. She was still out of control, but her now unconscious body was no longer able to broadcast as effectively. Her enforced relaxation eliminated the backlash effect of her trying to control the power and failing, which would then cause her to try harder to stop the broadcasting... an endless cycle that wouldn't stop until the power itself chose to release her.

"What is happening to her?" Graywolf demanded, plainly worried for his partner.

"That's what I hope to discover," Mike admitted to the taller man.

Darien had set the syringe aside and shifted Alyx until she was curled up against his chest. "It's coming more and more often lately."

"So Lincoln wasn't the only time?" Hobbes inquired, which was effective in having everyone's attention suddenly focus on him.

"Hobbes..." Darien began, only to be interrupted by Dani.

"The med lab's all ready for her, you can talk on the way," she pronounced, taking momentary command of the situation that Mike was anything but surprised at. When no one moved she waved then to the interior of the house, making it plain dallying was not an acceptable option.

"Darien, can you..." Mike didn't bother finishing the sentence as Darien was already getting to his feet with the sleeping woman held firmly in his arms.

"Is that how she hurt herself that night?" Darien asked of Bobby as they all trooped into the house and down to the basement where the small, but necessary, medical lab was located.

"Yeah, but it was nothing like this. That night she was doing the light show thing," Hobbes answered as he made sure the way was clear, and shoving chairs out of the way when it wasn't. "But it was weird, y'know? There was all this power coming outta her like crazy, but when I touched her she didn't fry me. Almost like... the power was using her as a way out."

Mike began setting up the necessary equipment, while Darien got 'Chele on the bed and began stripping off the excess winter wear with Graywolf's stunned assistance. Michele's sudden... breakdown creating a truce of sorts between the two men. Since Darien had some experience around medical equipment, thanks to his own adventures with the Agency, Mike made use of it and handed over the blood pressure cuff to be placed around her biceps. Mike set about attaching the numerous electrodes for the modified EEG machine and other monitors to her forehead to get some baseline readings that would, hopefully, clue him in as to what was going on.

"Anything else we can help with?" Hobbes asked, the concern for his friend swirling about him.

Mike tapped a few keys, brought up the full diagnostic on the screen and frowned at the initial readings. "Keeping the kids distracted would probably be best, otherwise they'll be pinging me every couple of minutes."

"Of course," Gray agreed. The perfect team player for the moment. "If I may ask... 'pinging'?"

Hobbes snorted and answered, "Poking him for attention... up here." He tapped his temple to demonstrate. "Feels like someone knocking on a door, kinda. You hang out around here enough, you'll get used to it."

Gray shook his head. "I keep expecting to wake up," he confided to the entire room.

Darien, who was hovering worriedly over Michele, fired off a typical response. "Pleasant dream or nightmare?"

"Just ignore Mr. Worry-wort there," Hobbes advised and motioned for Gray to vacate the room to let Mike get to work, for which he was grateful. Gray hesitated for a moment, and then followed along, the mood lightening once the two men were gone. Darien's mind was dark with concern, but Mike knew it would take a few minutes to convince him it was best to leave.

"Why is it we can never seem to catch a break?"

Mike knew Darien was asking the whims of fate as much as the unconscious woman lying before him, but chose to answer anyway. "To test your resolve?"

Darien sighed heavily. "I'm finally getting things on track with my life and _this_ happens," he expressed bitterly. "She agreed to marry me this morning, Mike. Could... could that be why she... It seems like when she's upset it..."

"No, Darien," Mike interrupted. "We have no idea what is causing this overflow of power or what triggers it. So stop blaming yourself." Mike made a few more adjustments to the machines and then sank into the lone chair. He gave Darien a wan smile. "I was beginning to wonder how long it would take you to ask her. Guess this explains the kids' giddiness last night; you checked with them first, huh?"

"I'm startin' to think I waited too long," Darien muttered as he brushed the stray curls back from her face.

"Darien, we'll get her through this," Mike tried to reassure his twin's fiancé, but with little luck based on the waves of misery and guilt coming off the man. "What, if anything, are you getting from her?" He gestured at the hand Darien was holding. 

Darien closed his eyes and tipped his head to the side in an eerie imitation of 'Chele when concentrating. Mike knew that her training had paid off and made Darien amazingly sensitive to not only her, but also other telepaths and empaths. "A buzz, like a thousand people whispering in my head." He opened his eyes to focus on Mike. "I can't even begin to imagine what she felt, or how much it must have hurt." He leaned over to give her a kiss on the forehead; the decision to leave her side, and not potentially affect the test results, a necessary one, even though it was plain that he hated it. "Mike..."

"As soon as I know anything, I promise." That assurance was enough for Darien, who nodded and stepped away from the still figure on the bed.

"Thanks." With his hands stuffed deep into his pockets, Darien shuffled from the room, leaving Mike alone with his charge.

It took Mike 30 minutes to run through all the basics. He took and ran blood samples, put in an IV in case he needed to dose her with more sedative, or anything else, watched her blood pressure and heart rate rise to near dangerous levels for her. He tried to impose shielding from the outside in order to stop the flood of voices invading her mind, only to have her shatter them without effort. He tried to ignore the increasing headache caused by her channeling all those thoughts and emotions within a 10-mile radius into his head even with the sedative muting the sound. He had trouble believing what the wave form monitor was showing him and adjusted it three times before he was convinced of its accuracy. The sharp spikes meant the output from her mind was off the scale in comparison to the gentle curves and waves that were considered normal. It made no sense whatsoever, though tests run by Claire Keeply at the Agency seemed to suggest that Michele's _potential_ was far greater than her apparent abilities had displayed prior to these incidents.

The thought that she might actually be far more powerful was a frightening one, while at the same time it tickled... something at the back of his mind. Some memory trying to make its way to the surface, and he seriously debated taking a few minutes to track it down as, unlike his sister, his recall was not near instantaneous. Instead, he headed back to the computer as it beeped to let him know that the latest round of tests were complete. He growled in frustration at what was revealed. "Damn it, 'Chele, what is going on with you?"

"She's breaking down the door," a soft voice replied, startling Mike.

He spun about to see his nephew standing in the doorway; the boy's eyes glazed over and a virtual blank to Mike's senses. "Chris?"

"They were afraid and wanted control." Chris blinked, as if suddenly waking up from a deep sleep and looked about. "Hey, Mike. How's mom doing?"

"I wish I knew," Mike muttered as he looked over the young man who appeared to be unaware of the cryptic statements he'd just made. It would appear he was gifted with more than just mild telepathy and empathy; it was looking like there was another intuitive in the family. A _very_ strong one.

"Mike?" The worry was heavy in the boy's voice.

"She's all right, though if she doesn't stop spiking soon, I'll be forced to dose her with inhibitor or risk her getting lost in there." Mike went to his nephew; the boy's words helping to make the connection to that elusive memory, and it might very well be of great importance in this situation. "Thank you, Chris."

"Thank you? I did something?" Chris was truly confused, but Mike chose not to explain what had transpired right at that instant.

"Yes. Now, go upstairs and tell everyone she's okay." Mike set a hand on Chris' shoulder and encouraged him out of the med lab and towards the stairs. "I should know more in an hour."

Still unsure of what he'd done, Chris nodded. "I'll let them know." 

Mike made a beeline for the secure phone in 'Chele's office and dialed a phone number he'd memorized over a year ago.

"_This is the Keeper_."


	16. Chapter 16

*16*

It was nightfall before Mike was beginning to understand what was going on with his sister. Claire had managed, with the help of the esteemed Eberts, to secure previously locked files from the QSX lab where Michele's abilities had been activated, and what they detailed to him made his face go pale with combined anger and pain. Chris' comments had triggered a memory that Mike hadn't examined in years, but was now turning out to be of vital importance. 

When Mike had been first approached for his assistance with the QSX Project, he had been supplied with data and video that had astonished him. Her readings, much like when she spiked now, were off the scale, her unconscious use of her abilities enough to terrify hardened military men into refusing to go anywhere near her. They'd been forced to put her room on its own power, to keep her heavily drugged most of the time and slap together a cocktail that would inhibit her abilities as well as keep her calm and complacent. 

He was the only person who could possibly help her, but, as he explained to the Official's representative, he couldn't. Keepers needed to be anonymous faces of authority and, as everyone was dismayed to learn, he not only knew the woman, but was her twin brother. After a few days of tense discussions, the decision was made to solve the problem by altering Michele's memory slightly. She would see Michael, but would no longer be able to connect him to her twin brother. A supposedly simple task, as one of the head scientists on the project had worked on several military projects perfecting mind-altering drugs for interrogation and sleeper cells for the CIA and NSA.

It was this same scientist, one Marcus Heilburg, who had also developed the Phase II drug that had brought Michele's Quicksilver ability to full functionality, the unexpected side effect was the activation of what appeared to numerous ESP type abilities. Michael, however, suspected they had simply been latent, as he could clearly remember incidents in their childhood, which, upon reflection, seemed to indicate she was indeed gifted, though with what talents, no one was quite sure.

She seemed to be capable of a wide range of powers: telepathy, empathy, and telekinesis along with an odd ability to manipulate energy, mainly electricity. However, she was completely out of control. The only thing she could seem to handle, and with frightening ease, was the Quicksilver. Michael had agreed to help once the memory block had been set in place, provided he was given complete control in her training. 

By the time Michael had arrived at the lab just over a week later, it was obvious something had taken place because not only did she have no memory of him, but her abilities were suddenly muted, far less violent and out of control. She would now get headaches, severe headaches, if she used them for too long, which resulted in yet more drugs for the pain followed by several hours of unconsciousness from which she would awake refreshed and unharmed. At the time he'd thought nothing of it, walking her through withdrawal from the highly addictive drugs used to keep her quiet and then learning the basics of how to control her numerous abilities had consumed the majority of his attention.

It never once occurred to him that something more had been done until now.

***

It was quiet in the house, given the number of people currently residing there. Hobbes and Graywolf had volunteered to clean up after the late dinner Dani and Amanda had cooked up, leaving them free to catch up on missed schoolwork or just hang out upstairs and be kids for a while. Darien and Alyx were in the den, ostensibly watching the TV, but actually doing little more than being with each other. Alyx was lying curled up against him; still groggy from the sedatives she'd been fed most of the afternoon. At least she hadn't been forced to endure a round of sense blindness as well, since she had stopped spiking before Mike had felt it necessary to administer a dose of inhibitor. She had mentioned still feeling weird, like the power buzz she used to get on the neurotransmitter enhancer, but nothing she couldn't handle. Mike hated the fact he was about to upend the peaceful scene before him.

"I take it this is going to be a bad news/bad news deal," Alyx stated without even bothering to look up at Mike.

He grunted, not very surprised she'd noticed his current mood. "That's one way to put it."

"Typical," Darien muttered, plainly not happy with the way the chips were falling, yet again. "Want I should get Hobbes and Gray... or maybe go?"

Alyx's head tipped slightly to the side as she thought about it. "Let's leave them out of it for now. If I feel I need their input, I can fill them in later."

"And me?" Darien asked.

"You? Moral support. Based on my bro's mental fidgeting the news is beyond bad," she concluded, her entire demeanor entirely too calm for Mike's liking. "Sit." 

Mike did so, the pile of printouts in his hand. "First off, I want you to know Claire was completely unaware of what I'm about to tell you until today. So was I, in fact. We _think_ the Official knew, but since Claire did not ask permission to access these files, I'd rather not get her in trouble by confronting him. Not yet anyway."

Alyx huffed. "Oh just get on with it, would you? What is it, some sort of mutation?"

"No, nothing like that," Mike assured the pair. "It... Oh bother, it's another set of programming. It was designed to hamstring your powers. A set of keys and triggers. It's the reason you get overuse headaches."

Alyx just blinked at him, as if unable to comprehend what he was saying. Darien, however, had no problems at all, and it made Mike wonder if perhaps they'd also set up a mental block in her in case this was ever mentioned. "Wait, you're telling me her headaches are... psychosomatic? Like if power output equals x then pain level equals y? That kind of thing?"

Mike had known Darien was a hell of a lot smarter than he was often given credit for, but this was quite impressive. "Exactly. And the more she pushes beyond the preset levels the worse the pain and the longer the programmed recovery time."

"So then why the drugs? If the pain is induced by the programming, medication won't really have any effect," Darien commented brightly as Alyx continued to sit and just listen to the discussion.

"But Claire didn't know about the programming and treated the symptoms. Don't forget Michele also gets headaches due to bleed through. All those voices whispering in the back of her mind do create very real pain as well."

"So what's gone wrong?" Alyx queried as she shifted slightly to face her brother.

"Based on preliminary simulations, the combination of extended Neuotransmitter Enhancer use and the recent memory alterations have caused the older programming to break down and fragment." Mike set the papers on the floor and ran a hand through his hair. "'Chele, it would appear that your true power level is far higher than what you currently use."

She just shook her head in seeming disbelief. "That would explain Claire's funky test results. She kept saying I had unlimited potential."

Darien snorted. "Well, now we know how they limited it. So what do we do?"

"I'm not sure, but with the cycle of the programming breakdown increasing, I would recommend pulling you from field duty immediately," Mike responded in all seriousness. "There's no way to predict when you'll next spike and no way to know in what form. Just imagine what would happen if you blew all the power while on a plane?"

Alyx nodded slowly. "Standard risk assessment. So what are my options?"

"Limited at best," Mike admitted. He was somewhat relieved she was handling this so well and thinking instead of reacting. Though she had never been one to simply react except in extreme situations, especially these days. Reacting with her abilities could seriously injure, if not kill someone, so she made sure to maintain control at all times. That was why she'd been so concerned over these bouts of uncontrollable abilities. "We keep you dosed on inhibitor and hope it runs its course. You would perforce be limited to desk duty, if not put on medical leave until the situation was resolved." He knew how well that idea would go over, but 'Chele just seemed to absorb the information, while it was Darien who paled. He knew how much she hated being on the inhibitor and the panic attacks it could cause.

"Or?" Darien prompted, clearly wanting any other option to having to use the inhibitor.

"We shut down the programming."

"Can that be done?" Alyx asked, her eyes locking with Mike's.

He waved at the papers. "According to those, yes. The data Claire got me includes the keys to the programming. I would guess Heilburg intended that your... handlers be able to turn the programming on and off in conjunction with the Phase III plan." Mike watched her eyes narrow at that. It was a damn good thing Heilburg was believed to be dead or he would have been spending his days running from one scorned woman. Michele still occasionally had remnants of the Heilburg programming pop up in her mind, but so far she'd been able to handle them without any adverse effects. The base Michael had given her when he returned her full memory half a year ago remained completely stable even after all this time and under pressure from this other programming breaking down.

"'Chele?" Darien queried her softly, his head turning so he could bury his face into her hair.

Mike debated feeling embarrassed for an instant as he watched the verging on intimate scene before him before he realized that touch had become another form of communication between the pair. Mike was well aware of how tactile Michele was and that facet of her personality had only increased since her abilities had been made fully active. The fact that they felt comfortable enough to simply be themselves in front of him made him even more certain that reintroducing them some six months ago had been the right thing to do.

She wrapped her hands about Darien's right one and sighed heavily. "Give us a couple, would you?"

Mike reached down and pick up the papers and then stood. "Sure. Take as long as you need."

Once Mike had left the room, 'Chele waited until reasonably certain he wasn't eavesdropping and sighed softly. "Well, do I know how to throw a party or what?" 

Darien didn't even come close to laughing, this was way too serious to turn it into a joke. He closed his eyes for a second and then used his free hand to cup her chin. He felt her swallow convulsively as she fought back the tears he knew were threatening. His forefinger rested atop her carotid artery and he could feel the rapid pounding that belied the cool exterior that she had worn for her brother.

"You sure you don't want me to go, too?" he asked softly, not certain he should have any voice in this decision. Neither choice seemed to be acceptable, when all she wanted was to just have things back the way they were before all this had begun.

"I may not be sure about much right now, but I am certain I need you here." She kept her voice carefully controlled, but he could feel the uncertainty roiling just below the surface.

"All right," he acceded, not about to argue with her if she felt he could be of use in figuring out what to do. "So, say you choose the inhibitor and let it the breakdown run its course?"

She shuddered. "Mike would start me on low doses of inhibitor and run tests to see if he can predict the rate of deterioration. Higher doses would be administered as needed to control the spiking." Her clinical description was effective in helping her to maintain her air of disinterest, even though he knew how much she must hate the idea of living on the inhibitor again.

"'Chele..."

"I would perforce be pulled from this mission, but I believe Mikey would be willing to complete it in my stead, once he was fully briefed on the details." 'Chele's voice cracked slightly and she turned her head to bury her face against his shoulder.

"Not your preferred choice, I take it?" He wasn't sure how his attempt at levity went over until she snorted.

"Hey, I'd get a much needed break outta it," she pointed out with a total lack of humor. "I don't like walking away from a job, Dare. Even with someone as capable as Mike to cover for me."

"I know," Darien sympathized. "That leaves option B, unless you brainiacs can come up with something else by the time Eberts calls." She shifted away from him then, and for a second he thought he'd said the wrong thing, but she simply turned to sit sideways on the couch, her hands still firmly wrapped about his. "What?"

She seemed to be staring in rapt fascination at the dark gray cushion between them. "I just... More powerful," she mumbled with disbelief in her tone. "Can you handle that? Me stuffed even further into your mind when we're together? The corresponding increase in the feeling of loss when we're apart? The whole mind-meld routine when we..." She tipped her head up to meet his eyes for an instant, and then looked away in obvious embarrassment. 

"'Chele, this isn't about me, or what I want. You need to make the best decision for _you_." Darien leaned in and encouraged her to lift her head and meet his eyes. He could understand her concern, but if they were still together after all this time, there wasn't likely to be anything that would drive him away.

"But it is about you, about us, I..." She frowned slightly. "I remember what can happen when I'm under the influence of increased abilities. It's why I don't go anywhere near the enhancer."

Darien growled under his breath, he still couldn't seem to convince her that she was not to blame in that whole mess that had occurred in Cabo San Lucas nearly two years ago. "'Chele, you'd been brainwashed; it wasn't _you_ in many ways and you know it." He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. "You are fully in control of yourself and I trust that you will always do the right thing in any given situation."

"But what if it happens again? What if ... _that_ is the real me?" There was real fear in her voice.

Darien reached out, tweaked her nose and got the smile he'd hoped to elicit for his reward. "And what if the madness cure fails? What if I wake up tomorrow to discover the tail bright red?" he countered in all seriousness. It was a secret fear of his that had inspired some impressive nightmares over the months since the serpent had been rendered permanently green.

"Darien..." It was obvious she had not been aware of his underlying worry on the matter. Considering the source of the cure, even with Claire checking it over and deeming it worthy, there was always the fear of that other shoe dropping.

"'Chele, _if_ something were to happen we'll deal with it then, but getting all worked up ahead of time," He gave her hand a squeeze of reassurance, "does nothing but upset you. You can't predict the future..." He trailed off as she quirked an eyebrow at him. "Okay, so _you_ can..." She began to chuckle softly and he grumbled, "Hey, work with me here."

'Chele laughed, but there was a hard edge to it that proved she was still concerned over the possible outcome. "_You_ are being logical, isn't that my job?"

He shrugged. "I had a good teacher," he told her with a grin. She returned the smile and leaned against the back of the couch as she thought about his observations. Darien waited several minutes before prompting her with a quiet, "Well?"

She shifted and bussed him a good one on the lips. "Thanks, bub."

***

Mike thumbed through the printouts as he wandered from the den to the kitchen from where the aroma of fresh brewed coffee drifted. There he found Hobbes and Graywolf discussing the merits of their preferred weapons, both of which sat partially disassembled on the table. Bobby with the same Colt he'd had for years and Gray a nice 15 round Browning that would be reasonably comfortable in his larger than average hand. It was a fair bet that many of the more common handguns would be simply too small for his grip and Mike idly wondered what the man's back-up gun was.

"Hey Mike, where's Fawkes and the kid?" Hobbes asked with seeming casualness as he swiftly reassembled his gun and slipped it back into its belt holster. 

Mike set the papers on the counter then opened the cabinet to retrieve a coffee mug. "In the den, talking. She has a decision to make about how she wants to handle this."

Graywolf shoved the clip back into the Browning, flicked the safety on and stuffed it back into his shoulder holster. Though unnecessary and technically against the rules of the house, neither man had been willing to give up their weapons and lock them in the gun safe for the duration of their stay due to the volatile nature of the mission. Given the kids were all very well trained in gun safety, making the concern about them doing something excessively stupid negligible, the normally stringent rule was given a blind eye.

"Perhaps we should join them?" Gray suggested.

Mike shook his head. "She wanted to discuss it with Darien first." Mike tried not to flinch at the sudden burst of anger from Gray.

"And why should he have any say in her decision? He is neither her partner nor her family..." Gray had barely begun the building rant when Mike interrupted.

"He will be," Mike stated, and regretted the words almost instantly as Graywolf paled visibly. '_Damn, I need more sleep_,' Mike thought, knowing he needed to be at the top of his game and was far from it as his slip proved. He damn well knew 'Chele and Darien hadn't announced their engagement to anyone yet. If it hadn't been for a distressed Darien spilling it earlier, even Mike wouldn't know.

"He asked her?" Hobbes questioned, hope obvious in his posture.

Given it was too late to take back or deny the words, Mike nodded. "This morning, apparently."

"Way to go, Fawkes," Bobby crowed with a broad grin on his face and an honest happiness for the couple that Mike could feel.

Graywolf, on the other hand, had gone from angry to... to something Mike couldn't quite identify. The man sagged, suddenly shrinking in upon himself and somehow managing to reduce his size by a third. Mike caught the stray, though oddly focused, thought, '_Shari, not again,_' but it meant nothing to him.

In hopes of breaking the deadening silence, Bobby cleared his throat. "So can you tell us what's going on in the kid's head?"

Mike grimaced as he stirred his coffee and knew that imparting the news to the two overprotective men before him was akin to striking a match near a broken gas main and had a _much_ higher risk of explosion. "According to the papers Dr. Keeply accessed, it's yet another set of buried programming, which is breaking down due to internal stress."

Hobbes swore softly under his breath; considering he'd dealt with some of the other programming 'Chele had suffered with over the years, his imprecations were more than justified.

"Programming? What do you mean?" Gray sounded truly mystified, and Mike realized that his sister's partner was completely in the dark about the methods used to make her one of the most unique agents in the known world.

"Mind control, Gray," Bobby responded curtly. "Of several different types. Some were outta necessity, like that..."

"The _pattern_ programming," Mike filled in. "The Phase III programming was anything _but _beneficial, however." He could feel the confusion swirling about Gray's mind.

"Phase III? Pattern?" Gray questioned of the air itself. He spun about to face Mike directly. "Why would they do these things?"

Mike sighed and sipped at the coffee while he gathered his thoughts. It was obvious that this would not be dropped without a least a partial and truthful answer. "The _pattern_ programming was designed as an emergency method to impose shields upon her abilities. Especially in the beginning when her control was far less than perfect." Mike kept his voice as bland as possible, fully aware of exactly how necessary that programming had been for the first year. "The Phase III was one of Heilburg's tricks and done without the Official's knowledge. Since she was not trained in the spook biz, he thought it would be useful if implanted, and accessible 'personas' that could handle a variety of tasks were available." Mike shook his head and idly stirred the coffee. "He'd originally done work on sleeper cell programming for the government. He used a combination of drugs and deep hypnosis that worked amazingly well... or seemed to?"

"'Seemed to'?" Gray repeated, his tone giving away his strained belief.

"Yep," Hobbes confirmed. "Turns out it falls apart pretty quick after being activated. Usual result was a nutso agent with a bad case of multiple personality disorder. Hear to tell the lucky ones fell into a kind of coma or catatonia."

Gray sat there, seemingly stunned, for several minutes. "Alyx went through this?"

"Yes, I did," was the quiet response.

All three men turned to see 'Chele and Darien standing in the doorway, his hand firmly grasped within hers.

Darien caught the way Gray's eyes drifted down to their clasped hands, and how he frowned when spotting nothing more than the amber ring she often wore on her left index finger. Darien had a sneaking suspicion that the beans had been spilled on their engagement, and seconds later his worst fears were confirmed.

In an icy cold voice Graywolf demanded, "When, exactly, were you going to mention your... engagement? Or was this another secret you've deemed I should be kept in the dark about?"

Mike looked like he was sorely tempted to smack Xavier upside the head in hopes of knocking some common sense into it. Darien had to admit his temper flared more than a touch at the question, but made a point of keeping calm, though by the way 'Chele's hand tightened about his she was about to go nuclear all over her partner's ass.

"Well, I _have_ been kinda unconscious since I was asked this morning," 'Chele replied sardonically.

Gray stood, tension etched in every line of his body for everyone to see. "You can't marry _him._"

"Excuse me?" Darien snapped, not about to let the man jump down her throat, not now.

*_I'll handle this_,* 'Chele's mind voice was tight with anger.

*_You sure_?* he asked, not doubting 'Chele could handle herself, but wanting to make sure she knew she wasn't in this alone.

*_Quite_,* she responded sharply then turned her focus on the very tall man standing before her and carefully enunciated two words. "Go. Home."

Graywolf went completely still. "What? What did you say?"

"I said 'go home.' I have neither asked for nor do I want your advice on my personal life." Her cool precisely spoken words told Darien far more than holding her hand did, as he was currently getting nothing from her. That made him certain she was beyond angry and was making the effort to not broadcast it to him. "Your _opinions_ about this relationship have been made perfectly clear, but at this point I no longer care. I requested that you reserve judgement until after this mission had been completed, but since you have proven yourself incapable of doing so, I want you _gone_."

"Alyx..." Gray appeared to be honestly shocked and paled noticeably at her directive.

The three men observing this did so in silence, realizing this situation needed to be dealt with by the two of them alone. Darien felt neither embarrassed nor triumphant, as he fully understood how difficult this was for her. He knew how much she cared for her partner and how much she had come to rely on him in the last few months, but she would not allow _anyone_ to ever try to control her. It was obvious that Graywolf had either never realized this for himself or had forgotten in his ire over the engagement.

"_No_. I have had enough. Go back to DC. Cavanaugh will be apprised of the situation by the time you arrive..."

Gray interrupted her and Darien had to wonder if the man realized he was risking her very righteous wrath by doing so. "Aly... Michele, I'm sorry. I..." He paused his stunningly sincere apology. "I'm just a bit overwhelmed by all this." He waved a hand about. "I want to complete this mission. Please?" he beseeched, nearly causing Darien's eyebrows to shoot up in reaction.

'Chele studied Graywolf minutely for long minutes, then nodded tersely. "No more chances, understand?"

Darien was amazed when Gray made the wisest decision possible and simply stated, "Yes." He then proceeded to sit back down at the table, quite plainly shaken by her reaction.

Mike was quick to change the topic and hopefully the mood of the group. "'Chele, can I hope you made a decision?"

'Chele's fingers flexed and released about Darien's hand a couple times as she changed tracks from dressing down Xavier to dealing with the mess her mind currently was. "I want you to remove the programming."

Mike shook his head. "I can't remove it, not without more information. I can only turn it off." The dismay was obvious on Mike's features even to Darien.

"Kid, you sure you wanna do that?" Bobby sounded rightfully concerned.

"Don't have much choice, Bobby. Mike's already threatened immediate desk duty if I do nothing. The inhibitor isn't a viable option this time." 'Chele explained in a curt tone. Now that she had relaxed slightly he could once again feel her unhappiness with her choice, and even knowing and agreeing with her reasons, he was just as uncomfortable with her being backed into a corner.

"Why not?" Graywolf asked softly, not wanting to invoke her ire again and clueing Darien in to the fact that the inhibitor was not one of the many secrets that had been kept.

Michele sighed and glanced up at Darien, who tried to give her an encouraging smile, but suspected that he blew it. *_You ready for this_?*

*_Shouldn't I be asking you that_?* he returned, earning a mental chuckle. *_I'll back you 100 percent_.* The wave of gratitude was more than enough of a response as her focus returned to her partner.

"Xavier, there's no way of knowing how long I'd be on the inhibitor, and therefore unable to work." She sucked in a breath and released it slowly. Only Darien really knew how much a fake the tough as nails agent exterior really was, and even at this moment she was doing her damnedest to make sure it remained that way. "They'd put pressure on the kids; Dani especially, and I won't allow that to happen."

And that, in a nutshell, was what had forced her to make this choice. Darien knew inquiries had already been made for Dani to begin training, if only unofficially, with at least a half dozen different agencies. In an even more bizarre twist some idiot had tried to recruit Rose with the insane goal of creating a team of prepubescent agents. Darien was convinced the guy had dipped too far into his stash before going to the movies.

There was silence for several minutes, with no one really feeling able to follow up her announcement and apparently no arguments against her reasoning. 

"How long will it take, Mikey?"

"Couple of hours, at most. It's pretty straightforward," Mike answered.

"What about drugs? We know Heilburg liked to combine them with his programming. Are they needed to make the... adjustments?" 'Chele most certainly didn't sound thrilled, and it was plain that Mike hadn't considered that potential hitch in the plan.

Mike skimmed over the pages, "Hmmm, not according to these, but I'll give Claire a call and double check."

"Works," 'Chele said with a seemingly careless shrug. "Can we do this tonight?" It was obvious to Darien that she wanted this over with in the worst way possible.

"Probably. I'll set things up downstairs and let you know in say... an hour?" Mike tried to inject some confidence into his words, but neither he nor his sister was buying it.

Darien could feel the sudden wave of exhaustion crash over her and realized she was doing everything possible to keep her emotions tightly locked inside, to the point where he was only getting the faintest of hints of her current emotional state. He wished he could take her away from all this and fix all her problems, but he knew it wasn't within his power. The best he could hope to do was to support her through this and be there if she needed him.

"All right," she agreed. "We're gonna head upstairs to spend some time with the kids. Fill them in about everything."

"Yeah, sure," Bobby voiced in complete agreement. "Let us know if you need anything."

"Thanks, Bobby," 'Chele replied, her voice slightly choked. "Dare?"

"I'll be there in a minute." He lifted their entwined fingers, kissed the back of her hand and then freed her. She leaned against him for a moment, the need for comfort obvious to him, and then walked through the kitchen to cut through the dining room and disappear up the stairs. One of Darien's hands took up its usual place in his rear pocket while he spent a few minutes closely examining his sock-clad toes as he forced himself to rein in his temper before lifting his gaze and focusing on Gray.

"Agent Graywolf, can I speak with you for a moment?"

Gray looked surprised by the painfully polite request, but managed a mumbled, "Uh, of course," as he glanced at the other two men in the room, neither of whom had any idea of what Darien wanted to say.

With a slight nod of affirmation, Darien followed in 'Chele's footsteps through the dining room, but instead of up the stairs he continued on to the formal living room. He shuffled over to the shelves lining one wall and caught himself smiling at the pictures spread along several. Most were of the kids, singly or in laughing groups - Michele preferred candid shots as opposed to stiffly professional ones. A few had Mike or 'Chele in them and some even included Darien, one with a triumphantly smiling Rose procuring a piggy-back ride.

Graywolf cleared his throat, startling Darien though he took care not to show it. Damn, the man could move quietly for his size, and thick carpeting couldn't be blamed, as the floor was a rich red hardwood. 

"If this is about your... engagement," It sounded like Gray nearly choked on the word, "I..."

"It's not," Darien interrupted, well aware of Gray's quite vocal point of view. "Not directly anyway."

"Then what?" Gray asked with some impatience, clearly not interested in spending one moment longer than necessary with Darien.

"Whatever happens between me and 'Chele, 'specially if we do the deed, I want you to promise you'll say nothing to anyone." Darien knew, at least initially, his request would go over like a lead boat with several bowling ball sized holes in the bottom, but he was hoping he could persuade Gray to do this.

Graywolf actually laughed; a harsh anger-filled laugh admittedly, but a far better response than the one Darien had been expecting. "And just why would I do that for you?"

Darien shook his head. "Not for me. Not even for Alyx." He used her work name deliberately.

"Then why?" Gray questioned with burgeoning exasperation.

"For them." Darien directed Gray's attention to the pictures of the kids. "Alyx has done everything in her power to let them be _kids_, to keep the two halves of her life separate, but, as you've now seen, it's becoming increasingly difficult for her to do so." He ran a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort. He had no idea if he was getting through to Graywolf or if the man's total contempt for Darien was keeping him from actually _hearing_ a single word. "Hate me all you want. Be pissed off at Alyx, but try to keep in mind she has trusted you with the most important thing in her life..."

Gray snorted. "So important she's willing to put them at risk to marry _you_," he sneered.

Darien shrugged, refusing to rise to the obvious bait. "She already left me for them once and, if push came to shove, I have no doubts that she'd do it again in a heartbeat. And I would wish her luck and happiness... just like I did the last time."

Xavier looked like he had swallowed his tongue, which was a vast improvement over the condescension and glaring of mere seconds before in Darien's opinion.

"For all of us who do know, security for the kids is a priority. I'm just asking you to do the same." Darien didn't plead, didn't beg and, in truth, didn't really expect Gray to agree.

The silence dragged on for long minutes; Gray's eyes flicking over the various photographs lining the shelves before settling heavily upon Darien. "Agreed. I will tell no one about the children... or _Michele_."

Darien wanted to say 'thank you,' but wasn't given a chance as Gray added, "Go on. I'm sure she's waiting for you to show before explaining her decision to them. I need to check in with Cavanaugh anyway." And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving Darien alone in the living room.

Darien reached out and ran his fingers along the frame of a picture that was of himself and 'Chele the previous Christmas. "I tried, babe. I tried."


	17. Chapter 17

*17*

The twinkling Christmas-style lights that had been strung in the lower branches of the trees edging the yard reflected off the top layers of snow and made it look as if it had been sprinkled with an extraordinarily fine glitter... or shed Quicksilver. Xavier shifted slightly, noting the cup of coffee he'd nursed until tepid was now empty, but he still wasn't ready to head back inside into the warmth and light; not yet willing to rejoin the somewhat somber familial atmosphere within. Someone, probably one of the kids, had thoughtfully swept the gazebo, so while chilly, the seat of his pants was not being dampened by swiftly melting snow.

He'd come out here shortly after his conversation with Fawkes, but that wasn't what he was brooding over. Protecting Alyx's children was a decision Xavier had made the day before, and it had been easy to affirm the promise. The fact that it been Fawkes making the request, apparently on his own initiative, had been a surprise and a source of confusion. Why would Fawkes bother? Why would a thief, who could easily profit by selling the location of the kids and what they could do to the highest bidder, protect them?

That, of course, brought Graywolf back to his real problem... the engagement. He had to keep telling himself it wasn't Shari all over again. That this situation was completely different from what had happened eight years ago. The past was not repeating itself, no matter how his heart kept trying to tell him different.

_He_ had been the one to stay away, college and then his new job in the CIA keeping him out of contact for long months. By the time he'd been settled, felt himself to be in the right place to make it all work, it had been too late. Shari, even with the tentative promises made, had moved on.

"Damn it," Xavier muttered softly, his words creating a thick fog upon the late evening air. Hindsight had shown him all the hints and signs he had missed, or perhaps simply chosen not to see. The increasing vagueness in her letters, her unavailability for phone calls, her distance when he would visit and her increasing reluctance to set a date to announce their betrothal. She had tried to tell him several times, but he had refused to listen, refused to believe until he'd gone home just in time for the couple to announce their plans to marry to the entire village. Xavier would _never_ believe that Philip Whiteraven was good enough for Shari but... That but. The couple was still together and had three wonderful children. Children that Xavier had occasionally dreamed were his own. Shari had not loved him the way he had hoped, though they had remained good friends over the years. It would appear that the situation with Alyx was playing out similarly, but he wasn't certain being friends with her could ever be enough.

"Why can't you love me?" he asked the night breeze at a hoarse whisper.

"She does," the soft voice startled Xavier, and he nearly drew his weapon in reaction. It took him a moment to ascertain who stood in the shadows, and when he did he frowned in irritation.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" he grumbled.

"Probably, but who can sleep while Uncle Mike stirs up mom's gray matter?" Rose stepped closer and lifted herself onto the wide ledge in the opening one over from where he sat.

Xavier grunted in agreement with that. He could only hope Alyx would get through this intact. For some reason he continued his musings for several minutes with little concern about the child that sat nearby. When he finally spoke it was with a question in the vein as the one Rose had overheard him muttering when she first arrived. "How can she love him?"

Rose scrunched her nose, making it plain she understood exactly what he was asking. "How can she not?"

Graywolf snapped his head about to stare at her. "But he's..."

"What?" Rose interrupted boldly and without a trace of fear. "A thief? An ex-con?" She snorted in derision. "Trust me when I say that's a major step up for mom."

He shook his head, not understanding what she could possibly mean with that utterly confusing statement. His eyes narrowed slightly as he wondered if, perhaps, she was manipulating him with her abilities. That idea sickened him, as he seriously doubted that Alyx would raise her children to have such a lack of ethics or conscience that they could ever be capable of even contemplating behaving in that manner. The child met his eyes with an enigmatic look that gave no hint as to what was going on in that young mind of hers.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean Jess, our _father_," she sneered the word in a precise, if high-pitched, imitation of her mother, "abused mom regularly."

Xavier found himself unable to respond, as it was the last possible thing he had ever expected to hear.

"_Come on_, do you really think any of us kids could accept Darien if he was anything other than the kind-hearted man we know him to be?" She raised one mitten-covered hand and broke off an icicle from the eave of the gazebo. "It's not like he can fool us, after all."

With a great reluctance, and most assuredly without letting Rose know, he agreed that even if Alyx might have been blinded by Fawkes' good looks and easy-going charm, her children would not have been. "That still does not mean he's the right... person for her to be with," Xavier stated emphatically, truly believing that Alyx could do so much better than a two-bit thief turned a freak of nature that had been forced to work for the government. He winced when he realized what had just passed through his mind. With the exception of the whole thieving thing, Alyx fit the exact same criteria, and there was no way he would ever consider her a _freak_.

"That's her decision to make, doncha think?" Rose sounded remarkably like Hobbes, and Gray idly noted she had quite a talent for mimicry. "She is perfectly capable of using her head, even in matters of the heart. Darien had a major uphill battle to win mom over."

Xavier shook his head, not entirely certain how much he wanted to hear, while at the same time he was desperate to understand the near-stranger he was partnered with. "What happened? With her... marriage?"

Rose kicked her feet for a couple of seconds, then shifted to sit sideways with one leg dangling down either side of the sill and leaning back against the post. She slid the icicle back and forth between her hands, the ice taking on a brilliant sheen as the surface layers melted under the continuous friction, as she seemed to contemplate how to begin. Finally she shrugged. "Exactly? I'm not sure. It wasn't like they went out of their way to advertise what was happening, and mom won't talk about it with us kids."

"So then how do you know... anything untoward was going on?" Xavier asked, not doubting her specifically, but honestly wondering how she knew, especially if her parents went to such pains to hide whatever was going on. He was surprised when her brows knit together in thought.

"We all suspected something, even me, and I was all of four at the time. I can remember one morning after everyone else had left for school, I walked into her room as she was getting dressed." She closed her eyes, tipped her head up and swallowed hard. "Her back was covered in welts, and I somehow knew it wasn't the first time. I told Dani what I'd seen that night."

"Did he... hurt you kids?" Gray's voice was hoarse, even the thought of anyone harming these children bothered him terribly.

"No, he was a remarkably good, if somewhat distant, father. Never raised a hand or his voice to us. Not back then anyway." She opened her eyes, but turned her head to stare out over the yard. "After mom... left, he tried his best to manipulate us, tried to keep us away from the rest of the family, and tried to convince us we were part of some grand plan. But since my and Dani's gifts had kicked in, we didn't fall for it and we made sure Chris and Manda didn't either."

Xavier rubbed his hands together to try and warm them a bit, even though he knew it was far more the child's words than the cold air causing them to feel chilled. At least now he knew who this mysterious _Jess_ was that Alyx had been having nightmares about in Lincoln, and why. Her injury must have subconsciously reminded her of all she had suffered at the hands of her so-called husband. "How could she love someone like that?"

"He wasn't always the violent brute he eventually became, or so mom has assured us. In fact, he was a sweet, kind man who never lifted a hand against her until after Dani was born." Rose met his eyes and blinked slowly as if fighting back tears. "He may have provided the genetic material to create us, but we haven't considered Jess our_ father_ for a long time."

Graywolf was surprised at the bitter chill he could hear in her words. "Why?"

"Kinda hard to even _like_ a person who thinks of you as little more than the successful result of a breeding experiment."

He was quite literally unable to comprehend what she was saying. He didn't doubt her words, and was willing to bet she or one of her siblings had _overheard_ the comment at some point in their young lives. He couldn't imagine how Alyx had lived that way for so long, how she had managed to survive all the cruelty and pain for so many years. "I'm finding this difficult to believe based on what I do know about Al... your mother."

"Ask her. Now that you know about us, she'll probably be willing to talk to you, but keep in mind she won't say a single denigrating word about Jess in this house. Far as she is concerned, he is our father and deserves respect no matter how much of a bastard he ultimately was."

Xavier shook his head in confusion; that attitude was perfect Alyx, keeping her problems and point of view hers and letting others form their own opinions without her influence. "She can't still have... feelings for him?"

"Why not?" Rose countered and then gave him a wry grin. "Which brings me back to the reason for freezing my butt off."

Gray groaned, not wanting to discuss Fawkes or the engagement again, especially not with this_ at'ééd_. "My opinion won't change."

"Not telling you to change it, but... Do you care about her?" Rose asked with a surprising innocence about her.

"If I do?" he challenged.

"Then you should care about her happiness more than your own," she stated emphatically.

He stared at her in disbelief as she managed such a smooth and yet cutting reprimand. "A point, I will grant you."

"Graywolf, she cares about you very much, and it's tearing her apart that she may be forced to choose between you and Darien." Now, she was nearly pleading and he found it difficult to ignore said plea.

"She's made her choice," Gray growled softly, standing up to end the conversation.

"Damn it, Xavier, she doesn't want to. She can bloody well love more than one person at a time." Rose dragged her leg back over the sill, hopped onto the floor of the gazebo and tipped her head back to glare up at him with fisted hands planted firmly on her hips. "She loves Bobby nearly as much as Darien. She loves Mikey even though he's been forced to do awful things to her to keep her alive and healthy." She paused to suck in a breath. "She loves Dani even though she got stuck with Jess' eyes and hair color. And me, _bred_ in an act of violence." Her voice dropped to a near whisper, and Gray found himself listening carefully to her words. "She needs you, Xavier, and you want to push her away because she had the gall to fall in love with the one person who was able to show her she could risk caring again. To love again." When he said nothing, due the fact he was having a hard time comprehending the statement that this lovely child before him was conceived in an act of rape, she threw up her hands and stormed off with a grumbled, "Men! Here's hoping I'm gay."

Graywolf suppressed a chuckle and the sudden urge to admonish the girl, when he recalled she was only nine years old. The fact that he'd spoken so frankly with a child caused his mood to darken noticeably as well as show her astonishing maturity. His momentary upset was apparently not lost on the ability-burdened child, for as she stepped onto the main deck she cursed just loud enough to be heard and caused every icicle still hanging from the gazebo's eaves to shatter into a fine dust.

***

"Michele, I'm done. Wake up."

The return to consciousness was a sudden thing, like a switch had been flipped in her darkened mind, flooding everything with light. Or it would have if she had made the effort to open her eyes. Instead she took stock; tentatively probing with her internal senses in an attempt to gauge how much stronger they were.

"'Chele, come on, I can't hold these shields on you much longer." There was audible strain in Mike's voice and in his mind.

With a mental grumble at herself she grounded, centered and, step by step, built a wall in her mind that would filter out extraneous thoughts and emotions while still allowing the ambient energy that was her main ability to continue to function without interference. They had discovered the hard way that if she attempted to block that facet of her abilities entirely she would pass out cold... or worse. She could potentially shut down all brain function, which would kill her in a matter of seconds if nothing were done to jump-start her. That had happened once back at the lab, before they truly understood what she was. She had learned to dampen the excess, shunt it about herself, while the rest continued on its merry way, flowing through her as if she were no more than a simple circuit and giving her a unique awareness of the world about her.

She heard and felt Mike sigh in relief when she completed her mental work and had the shielding in place. She made some minor adjustments to banish the few not unexpected voices that leaked in past the newly resurrected shields. They faded to nothingness; securely locked out of her mind until such time that _she_ chose to let them back in.

"'Chele, you okay?" She couldn't help but feel his worry, their family connection sneaking around her shields as always.

She opened her eyes, expecting to see nothing more than the off-white ceiling of the med-lab, but instead saw... colors. Glowing colors that crackled and shifted as the infinitesimally small movement of the supposedly solid surface flowed and moved to her sight. For some reason, her ability to see the energy signatures of nearly everything was overlaid upon her normal vision.

"Oh wow," she let escape in awe. The colors, the depth to which she could see was magnified a hundred times, and she knew she could get lost for long hours just watching and trying to understand the permutations of just one square inch of space.

"What? What's wrong?" Mike was at her side in an instant, the worry oozing off him in sharply crashing waves.

"Nothing," she assured him, noting he was surrounded by a lovely sea-green halo. Michele shifted to sit up, and he placed a hand on her back to assist her, being careful of the trailing wires trailing from the electrodes still attached to various points on her head. His gentle touch caused the nerves beneath his palm to fire like crazy. The pressure of the soft cotton of her shirt into her back felt almost like sandpaper to her, apparently, even more sensitive flesh.

"The energy signatures are so much crisper. It... it's so cool."

Mike chuckled softly and relaxed noticeably to her senses. "That type of enhancement should be expected across the board. That includes your sense of touch. It may take some adjustment."

"So how'd it go?" 'Chele asked as she flipped that internal switch and returned her sight to normal. She glanced about the room, choosing items at random to focus on, and found even her above average eyesight was greatly improved.

"So far so good," Mike answered, stepping back so that she could see the wave form monitor that had been hidden behind him. Not even she could see _through_ things... yet.

'Chele eyed the monitor critically, confused by the readings. "Uh, that can't be right, can it?"

"Actually, it is. I had to recalibrate the machine. You were off the scale," Mike explained with a momentary hint of fear, which he quickly buried, though not before she caught it. "But as you can see, your power levels have evened off. No more spikes."

"Then what are you afraid of?" She called him on the emotions he'd tried and failed to hide from her.

Mike shook his head. "You, sis, but for you and _not_ of you. This is a huge change, Michele, and you still have apprehension about using your abilities..."

She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, which was enough to halt Mike's words. "Considering everything I've done, I damn well should have a healthy fear of what I can do. I..." She shook her head. "I'll deal. Least I have control this time 'round."

"'Chele, you have to forgive yourself sometime," Mike commented softly.

"Forgive... yes. Forget? _Never_." She pulled her legs in to sit cross-legged on the bed and began peeling off the electrodes.

Mike moved over to assist, careful to keep the sticky pads from catching in her hair. "Your abilities are _not_ something to be feared. The kids need to be taught to respect the potential dangers of their powers, yes, but they should not see them as something to be afraid of."

"Agreed." Michele handed him her collection of wires. "Which is why I've tried to emphasize my situation was the extreme and not something they're likely to ever deal with."

Mike snorted as he piled the wires atop the monitor, switched it off and rolled it back into its corner. "Never say never, sis. Life has a way of smacking you upside the head when you're not looking. Current situation a prime example." He returned to her side with a wry grin on his face. "All right, lets see if you're working up to spec. Telepathy first."

"Do I hafta?" she whined in a fair imitation of Darien, which caused Mike to raise his eyebrows in obvious amusement.

"Yes, you hafta," Mike mock ordered. "I'm glad he makes you happy."

*_Me too_,* she agreed.

Mike flinched, his hands clapping vainly over his ears in reaction. "Youch."

*_What_?* 'Chele queried in confusion. She could feel that her brother was in pain, but was unsure of the cause.

*_You're blinking loud_,* he explained, his hands lowering to his sides.

"Loud?" she repeated, not any less confused now that she had her answer. Her _sending_ to him had felt perfectly normal to her, but considering the residual ache she could feel from him, she didn't argue and adjusted her 'volume' accordingly. *_How's this_?*

*_Better, but still too much volume-wise_.* This time, at least, it hadn't been so loud that it caused him pain.

"Well... hell. I feel like I'm whispering." She adjusted her levels down another notch and tried again. *_And now_?*

*_Perfect. You'll get the hang of it, just give it a few days_.* He was careful to make sure she could feel that he had every confidence in her. "Empathy next. Try the kids."

'Chele nodded and focused on the children, who should have been blissfully asleep, but were, of course, wide awake. All four were radiating varying amounts of worry and exhaustion; the concern for their mother overriding their natural need for sleep. Three she was able to sooth and reassure, being careful of her output level, but Rose... Rose was seething with anger along with the concern, and 'Chele wondered what had happened while she'd been out. After spending a few minutes exchanging emotional commentary, she broke the link and focused on her twin, who had been waiting patiently as he eavesdropped on her use of power. She couldn't help but feel his satisfaction with her accurate dampening of her power in order to keep from overwhelming the kids' minds.

"What's got Rose so ticked off?" she asked in consternation. Admittedly the child did have a temper, but she had been in a reasonably good mood as the joy of the engagement had outweighed the burgeoning concern for her mother.

"'Chele, I was here with you," he reminded her, causing her to roll her eyes at herself. "And it can wait until tomorrow."

'Chele shook her head, the contact with her youngest child had revealed something none of them had been aware of. "She has my abilities. Not as strong, but the same. That's probably why you've been having so much trouble training her. She's _not_ a telepath."

Mike went perfectly still in obvious surprise. "You got _that_ from a couple minutes of empathic contact?"

"Yes," she told him. "I... I guess it should have been obvious, but they... feel different now. It's subtle, given her abilities have not come into full power, but it's there."

Mike didn't argue. "I'll modify her training. She'll be ready when the time comes," he assured her. "Y'know, that would explain quite a few things, like why she'll still pick up thoughts even when shielded. It's not her being a nit, it's the wrong shielding."

Michele nodded in agreement. There had been any number of discussions, both with and without the child in question, about her seeming unwillingness to maintain proper shields. It was looking like they owed Rose an apology or two. "And here we thought she inherited about three times my natural stubbornness."

"Oh, she did," Mike said with a laugh. "Later with this, I still need to make you jump through a few more hoops. Telekinesis if you would."

'Chele grumbled under her breath about 'obnoxious slave drivers' even as she fully realized the necessity. Still, she was finding herself growing more annoyed by the second, as she was supremely confident that all of her abilities worked just fine, if at a markedly increased level. Knowing this facet of her talents would be just as souped up as the rest had been, she used only a tenth of her usual effort and lifted every loose object in the room, including the bed she sat upon, a foot into the air.

"Show off," Mike muttered. "Now put 'em down and Quicksilver for me."

Michele knew better than to argue, and since the ultimate control system for both sets of abilities was the same, there was always a chance, slim, but there, that the change could have affected her being able to Quicksilver effectively. She willed the Quicksilver to flow and it responded like always, oozing out of her pores and crawling across her flesh like some living thing. Within seconds she had vanished from sight. She held it for about a minute, and then let it flake away only to start it going again, this time to run through part of her basic fine control routine with no obvious problems or adjustments. The biggest change was due to the increased sensitivity of her skin, making the Quicksilver feel even odder than it normally did.

"Looks good. How does it feel?" Mike moved to her side, penlight at the ready to check her pupil response once her eyes were visible again.

"Feels fine." She resisted the temptation to control her iris response and allowed them to react normally as he shined the light into her eyes one at a time. "I expected the increased hypersensitivity, so, while weird, it wasn't a big deal. Gives me an excuse to buy more silk, though."

Mike continued checking over her vitals even as he chuckled. "Like you need an excuse." He listened to her heart, and then hung the stethoscope about his neck. "Well, everything checks out. If you even _think_ something is wrong..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know what to do," she groused, not needing to be mother-henned right now. She was about to detail this to him, but when she opened her mouth to speak, instead of words a massive yawn escaped, surprising her.

"Go get some sleep, and that's an order from your doctor." Mike held out a hand and assisted her off the bed. "'Sides, I'm quite certain Darien is waiting for you."

'Chele cast her mind about for the man in question, to discover he was indeed awake and awaiting news about her. "Okay," she agreed.

"Okay? No argument?" Mike sounded shocked, but she was quick to pick up it was mostly feigned.

"What? I'm not allowed to be tired?" She gave him a lopsided smile. "Thanks, bro."

He drew her into a quick hug. "Anytime."

She let his confidence that everything had gone just right ease any lingering doubts and worries that remained. She pushed herself away and, after meeting his eyes for an instant, trotted from the room with single goal of heading upstairs to assure Darien she was just fine.

***

_"King's Cross! I apologize! I love your singing dear."_

_"The idiom is 'King's X,' Ish. Pax, it is. Grab robes for all of us, Hammy, that's a good girl. Long Legs, while I was singing---perfectly on key---I figured out that idiom that was bothering me. It's not what Minerva though t it was; a 'hook shop' is a bordello. Which makes the Born Loser's sister a hetaera---and the last piece falls into place."_

_"Why, of course! No wonder she could subsidize her brother---artists always get paid more than anyone else."_

_Hamadryad returned with robes, laid them on the massage table. She said, "I didn't know that idiom was bothering you, Galahad. I understood it the first time I heard the song."_

_"I wish you had told me."_

_"Is it important?"_

_"Only as one more clue. Ham, in analyzing any culture, its myths and folk songs and idioms and aphorisms are more basic than its formal history. You can't understand a person unless you understand her culture..."_

"Yeah, right," Darien mumbled aloud as the lesson being banged into his head by the book met a wall of utter resistance. There was little chance of him wanting to understand Graywolf's culture in order to find some common ground. Not tonight anyway.

"Would you prefer left then?"

Darien just barely managed to control the twitch that was his body's response to those softly spoken words. In fact, he continued to stare at the page before him even though the urge to jump off the bed and rush to her was extremely difficult to resist.

"You didn't have to wait up for me, ya know."

Darien lifted his head to see Michele leaning against the entrance from the sitting room. She appeared to be perfectly fine, if looking tired; and considering everything that had happened today, it wasn't all that surprising. "Like I could sleep?"

She shrugged, pushed away from the wall and headed for the bathroom. "I'm gonna take a quick shower."

Darien grunted noncommittally, completely blown away by her seeming casualness of the entire situation, and pretended to go back to reading the book even though the words seem to blur before his eyes. Her sudden gasp caused him to snap his head back up with worry. "What?"

Her hands were wandering across her forehead as if in search of something. "Oh no," she cried out and Darien felt his heart rate crank up another notch. Then she dropped her hands to her sides and tipped her head slightly to one side. "Dare, I'm fine. No third eye, no drooling mess, just... me."

He groaned and resisted the temptation to rush from the bed and give her a solid walloping for scaring him half to death. "Damn it, Michele," he grouched, but relaxed somewhat as she grinned at him. "Go. I'll try to stay awake," he muttered, knowing damn well there was no chance in hell he would sleep until he had her in his arms and could see for himself up close and personal that she was indeed 'fine.'

'Chele didn't comment, pushed away from the wall and went straight to the bathroom. Within moments, Darien heard the sound of the shower running and attempted to fall back into the story, but knowing she was mere yards away kept him from actually reading. He was about to set the book aside when he realized he'd read the same page three times without absorbing a single word, when the door swung open and the scent of steam and fresh citrus wafted out to tease his olfactory senses into full awareness.

He glanced up surreptitiously and found himself unable to look away. It wasn't that she was striking some sexy pose - to his eyes she was _always_ sexy - or trying to draw his attention. She was gently towel drying her hair as she padded softly across the wood floor to the foot of the bed. She was wearing one of her typical long-sleeved pajama tops that she often paired with the matching pants during the colder winter nights; absolutely nothing unusual or overtly enticing. Yet, she looked... sweet, tempting and irresistible. She tossed the towel aside and he watched it drape itself perfectly over the back of a chair in such a way that meant she'd used her abilities to do it. Then she crawled across the bed towards him.

"Hey, bub," she purred as she sidled right up next to him and pressed herself against his side.

"Hey," he managed in response, allowing his eyes to slide away from the unread page to rest upon her. "Everything go okay?" He hadn't planned on asking, but found himself unable to prevent the words and the concern from escaping.

"So it would seem. All of the prelim tests came out just fine. It's simply a matter of adjusting to the increased sensitivity," 'Chele explained in a soft voice as she shifted so that her chin rested on his shoulder. Reaching out, she gently tugged the book from his grasp, closed it and left his side long enough to return it to the nightstand.

"Umm, I was reading that," he pointed out needlessly.

"Well, pretending to anyway." She was back then, her lips brushing along his temple as she spoke. "I have other things than reading in mind for tonight."

His arm curved around her back as if it was the most natural thing in the world and he turned his head to kiss the hollow of her throat. "Like what?"

"Oh, I felt like celebrating." She was still close enough that her lips brushed along his skin with every whispered word.

"Celebrating? What are we celebrating?" He was quite surprised when she pulled away from him at his question. She eyed him speculatively for several long seconds before answering.

"Our engagement. Unless you've changed your mind and wish to withdraw your proposal, of course." There was no hurt or anger in her voice, since she had made it very clear earlier that he could change his mind at any time without it directly affecting their current relationship.

Darien felt the sudden urge to smack himself in the head for not considering that she might want to... commemorate the moment somehow. "No. No way. No how. You ain't makin' me change my mind, girl."

She gave him a sly smile. "Good." She then allowed gravity to act and pull her far smaller mass towards his greater until they were mere centimeters apart - almost, but not quite touching.

He stilled, all except his heart, which pounded in reaction; their mutual attraction inevitably drawing them towards each other. One hand closed the distance, curving about her jaw, the fingers trailing in the damp hair hanging at the back of her neck. "Sweets, your back. I don't think..."

"Good plan," she interrupted. "Thinking is not what is needed right now." Then her tongue was hot against his throat and he found himself able to do little more than groan, close his eyes in reaction and do whatever she wanted. It was the noticeable tingle of static electricity wherever her skin that met his that drew him back from the euphoria he'd been feeling. Her lips were making their slow way back towards his ear while one hand roved in slow circles across his abdomen, every slight movement leaving a trail of heat and heightened sensitivity along the nerve endings. It was far more intense than anything he'd ever experienced before with her.

"Open your eyes," she murmured, the words sounding clumsy as the impressions suggesting the same came through with her touch.

It took a moment for him to gather himself and find the strength to actually act upon her request. He was so caught up in _touch_ that sight seemed an unnecessary burden to everything he was already enjoying. When he did finally manage to crack them open, they widened instantly and he stared about in awe. The room _glowed_. Everything, every surface - the walls, the bed, the mirror, the curtains, hell, the air itself, and each with their own distinctive varietal of colors and pattern of movement.

It was like an LSD junkie's ultimate wet dream of a trip, and he knew it showed in his voice when he uttered just two words, "Oh wow." Seconds later, everything had gone to grayscale, and Michele chuckled, quite obviously amused at his reaction.

All Darien knew was that if _this_ was a side effect of her increased abilities he was going die a very happy man.


	18. Chapter 18

*18*

_The venerable Lord Acton once wrote to Bishop Creighton, "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." And it's true enough, at least when talking about ordinary forms of power - political, military, monetary. It becomes a whole new ball game when the power is of a different stripe entirely._

_Say, the kind that would allow a single person to destroy an entire city with little more than a thought. No buttons to push, no bravado, nothing but the will and an ability your average Joe couldn't comprehend._

_Then... then the words of John Lehman start to seem far more than just some Navy bigwig's bout of overdone machismo._

_"Power corrupts. Absolute power is kind of neat."_

"Got it, Ebes, and thanks. You've saved our butts on this one." Alyx made sure her tone conveyed how serious she was about that statement. The information Eberts had tickled out in just 24 hours might very well provide the piece that would solve a puzzle that had gone unfinished for the last 15 years.

"_You are quite welcome, Miss Silver. I wish you success on your endeavor_," Eberts responded with a gentle pride Alyx could hear even across the intervening distance. "_Good hunting_."

Alyx chuckled, an oddly dangerous smile crossing her lips for an instant at the thought of a truly challenging hunt, which was something she hadn't known the pleasure of for quite some time. "You know it. Have a good day, Albert." She disconnected, placed the handset back in the base and turned to the printer that was just spitting out the last of the pages of information that had been sent to her. It was quite literally everything they would need to find Keller's family along with the multiple dummy accounts he was using to funnel money to them and into other... more interesting places.

She picked up the papers and stuffed them into the file folder she had waiting for just that purpose and idly thumbed through the information as she headed for the doorway. There she paused, looking at the men in the room before her. The battle lines had been drawn and could clearly be seen, as well as felt. Darien sprawled on the beat up sofa, claiming that territory as his own, once again reading the about the adventures of Lazarus Long in lieu of engaging in, what would surely be a forced and uncomfortable, conversation with Graywolf. Bobby was handling that quite well all on his own; talking shop and keeping the larger man a good 10 feet away from his partner. However, Bobby's good intentions did nothing to ease the simmering acrimony that lay heavy between the two men: anger, hurt, jealousy and host of other things that Alyx was unable to keep from sensing.

She allowed herself a soft sigh, rubbed her forehead with one hand and attempted, yet again, to filter out the three men before her. Bobby must have caught her movement for he turned to her, relief at no longer having to play distraction evident in every muscle of his body. "Kid, what's the word?"

Darien glanced up from the book to meet her eyes; his sullen unhappiness with the situation not lost on her.

"They're in London," she stated, walking out into the main room and tossing the file on the table as Graywolf settled down into one of the chairs. "Kids are attending The International Community School near Regent's Park. They live nearby in an upscale flat that cost half a mil. Keller set up an account that he filters money to, though Ebes did say he still needed to track down exactly where some of the funds were coming from. Keller ain't poor, but the man's showing about three times the net worth he should have according to legit sources." Alyx got all this out quickly, not wanting to have to be in their combined presence for too long. It was too much for her newly upgraded abilities to handle, and she didn't want to resort to medication to dull the incoming information unless absolutely necessary.

"Damn, living high on the hog, ain't they. Bet that school's not cheap, either," Darien observed, turning a page.

"It's not. It's one of the premiere boarding schools in Europe. Both kids attend, the girl we're after - Angel - is in the equivalent of the 9th grade and her younger brother in the 6th." Alyx paced away from the table, trying to find some locale in the room where the incoming impressions from the men was at least hitting her with equal strength even while realizing it was a fruitless task. Even the distraction of the rest of her family members muttering in the back of her mind did little ease the swiftly building headache that was pulsing merrily between her eyes.

"Then we should have enough information to resolve this situation," Graywolf observed in a bland tone. It was obvious that he wanted this over with as swiftly as possible.

"Picture?" Darien asked, with a casualness that belied the tension she could feel, even though he hadn't bothered to lift his head from the book. He wasn't fooling her, or anyone else for that matter, the turning pages meant little more than he was keeping up the pretense of reading, most likely to piss of Gray with his seeming lackadaisical approach to the work at hand.

"Pictures of what? The school? Buckingham Palace?" Gray challenged with a heavy sarcasm that was unusual for him, but was a step up as he had been unwilling to verbally acknowledge his rival's presence before now.

"Crap," Hobbes muttered. "Good point, Fawkes." Hobbes rubbed the top of his head, making the few remaining hairs stand upright momentarily as if from motion induced static, and turned to face Alyx directly. "Any chance his royal geekness sent pics of the kid? Passport, school ID, medical info, anything?"

"See for yourself." Alyx waved at the file, and Bobby picked it up to glance through as she answered. "Nothing like that. Not even descrips of the kids. Ebes followed the money trail, so, while I can recite a baker's dozen of account numbers, I can't give you what we really need to put paid to this little supposition."

"So, no way to confirm Angel is Lee's daughter and not Keller's with the intel we have," Darien stated, closing the book and setting it down on the cushion beside him. "Aside from the oddly coincidental name, that is." 

"It's enough," Gray argued. "We take what we do have to Cavanaugh and go from there."

Hobbes dropped the file back onto the scarred surface of the table and began to pace the perimeter of the room, wandering around and between the various obstacles with an ease that showed he'd memorized their locations. "From where? We've got maybes and best guesses. Nothin' concrete."

"'Cept bruises," Darien added, causing Alyx to chuckle softly.

"Except bruises," Hobbes agreed with a nod and hint of a grin.

"It'll be enough for Cavanaugh," Xavier asserted as he reached for the file. Plainly wanting to find something inside it to drive his point home. His frown of disappointment gave Alyx some faint hope that he might be willing to listen to what Darien and Bobby were saying. At least until Darien chose to speak.

"Will it be enough for anyone else?" Darien's question, while obviously rhetorical to her, was still more than enough to cause Gray's face to flush with anger and Alyx's headache to crank up yet another notch.

In an attempt to forestall what would surely be an inflamed response from her partner Alyx said, "No, it won't." She scrubbed a hand across her face, the pain being inflicted upon her by their continuing animosity causing her cheeks to go numb in reaction. On top of that she was once again experiencing that buzz in the back of her skull that boded ill for any chance of escaping this without medication. She was so sensitive now that excess emotions from others was enough to cause a build up of power that she could in no way block or prevent, and controlling it, keeping it from playing havoc with the house systems would cause a minor backlash with its own attendant headache. She couldn't win for losing today.

Darien cleared his throat, dragging Gray's glare away from Alyx. "Okay, so we head to London, snap some pics of the kid for proof and then get ourselves some bangers and mash before heading back to DC."

His suggestion actually wasn't all that bad, and might very well garner the last piece they needed to prove out their theory. Unless, of course, Angel had ended up taking after her blonde and blue-eyed mother, which would prove nothing, as the woman Keller had married conveniently had both those features herself.

Graywolf, in what to Alyx was a continued fit of pique, just had to argue the opposite. "That'll take at least 24 hours. We can be in DC in two and confront Keller directly."

"Oh yeah, _that's_ real smart," Darien snarked. "Let's make it easy for his black ops goons to finish the job."

"Fawkes," Hobbes tried to warn, his previous enforced truce no longer being adhered to by either man. Darien had the good grace to grimace slightly, probably realizing he'd pushed the envelope too far that time with his response, but also quite unrepentant and with no intention of apologizing for saying what was on his mind.

Graywolf did far more than warn. With a dangerously controlled voice he stated, "Maybe if they had this case would be closed by now."

Alyx's eyes widened at the pure vitriol in her partner's voice, and for an instant he registered as nothing more than a total stranger to her senses. Her shock over _that_ prevented her from verbally chastising him over the comment, and allowed Bobby to get in a shot instead.

"Hey," Bobby snapped, moving to get right into the far larger man's face, which also had the effect of putting himself between Graywolf and Darien. "You forgettin' he saved _your_ ass that day?"

Alyx could hear Gray's teeth grinding from where she was standing, and her headache went from simmer to roiling boil instantly. Instead of stepping away to find a chair to collapse upon, she simply rolled her shoulders and prepared for the storm she knew was going to break upon her senses any second.

Darien, much to her surprise, didn't let Xavier's remarks or Bobby's defense phase him and proceeded to respond calmly. "Then let's get the proof we need and get this over with." The voice of reason coming from the one person who typically did everything to egg the situation on should have been a warning to all involved, but even Alyx was at a complete loss over this seeming role reversal that was taking place. Nothing was making a whole lot of sense at the moment, and the pounding, buzzing, thrumming pain in her head was doing little to help her untangle what was happening before her eyes.

"It's a waste of time," Xavier snarled as he got to his feet to glare at Darien over the top of Bobby's head. Gray's stubborn refusal to listen to anything Darien said was not missed by either of the other observers.

Darien flowed to his feet, looking for all the world like a huge cat stretching out to his full length, and met Gray's glare with a sleepy gaze that was misleading to anyone who didn't know him very well. He might look calm or bored, but in reality he was dangerously angry and spoiling for a fight, be it verbal or physical. While no expert, Darien was more than capable of whaling the tar out of someone with a combination of good old fashioned down and dirty street fighting and martial arts picked up over the last few years at the Agency.

"And without more info we ain't got zilch," Darien declared flatly, and Alyx knew, due the combination of tightly reined in rage and frustration, that he was fully aware his words would fall upon deaf ears.

"That's why we must return to DC. We have enough to..." Gray began only to be interrupted Bobby.

"To what?" Bobby challenged. "Prove to Keller and his cronies that we're even more dangerous than they thought?" He grabbed the file from the wrong side, causing the papers to slide across the table, some spilling onto the floor. "Cavanaugh can't make a move unless we have _everything_, and you know it."

"We can get it in DC," Gray insisted, still focused on Darien instead of meeting the eyes of the man currently arguing with him.

"No, we can't," Darien disagreed in a comparatively soft voice. Based on what Alyx was picking up, he knew that yelling was the expected response, and that Xavier would be totally thrown by the continued non-combative reply. However, what Darien couldn't know and that she was forced to be aware of was that instead of allowing the near-explosive rage an outlet by matching shout for shout, the methodology turned Gray's hot tempered anger icy cold.

"Franklin will block us," Hobbes added; unaware that the situation had changed from a disagreement over method to an all out war. "You can't go to your contacts in DC without sending up red flags all over the place." He looked to Alyx for assistance from his position between the two taller men, a human line in the sand.

Xavier huffed in indignation. "Cavanaugh..."

"Cavanaugh sent you to find the proof," Darien reminded Gray and earned a black look for it. "If it were in DC don't you think she'd already have it?"

"You know nothing ab..."

Graywolf's icily spoken response faded from Alyx's hearing as the headache built to a crescendo; the surging pain blocking out everything around her - sight and sound. She wanted to raise a hand to her head, wanted to stagger back, wanted to whimper in utter and complete misery, but never got the chance. With a brilliant flare, like a flashbulb going off in her mind, the pain vanished to be replaced with...

"Enough," she hissed, making certain that everyone was very much aware of her displeasure.

All three men froze in place for a long instant before swinging their focus to Alyx. All of them looked as if they'd been hit by bricks wrapped with precisely sliced lemon wedges, but she didn't bother to notice, she was simply thankful their obnoxious and juvenile bickering had ended... finally. Once positive she had their full attention she straightened, shifting her head minutely until her neck popped loud enough for the others to hear. "Here's what _will_ happen. Graywolf and I will go to London and get what we need on the girl." Her eyes alit upon each man in turn and knew they dared not turn away, that they were focused on her and her voice alone. "Fawkes and Hobbes will return to DC. We will meet you there in no more than 36 hours."

"Uh kid..." Hobbes requested her attention tentatively, and she noted his poor attempt to control a flinch of reaction as her gaze fell heavily upon him.

"Yes?"

"What're me an' Fawkes supposed to do in DC?" he asked, his voice wavering between bold and subservient, as if unsure where he stood with her at the moment. He was right to wonder.

"Find Lee," Alyx told him as if it should have been obvious. "Keep him from moving against Keller until we arrive. Try to convince him we're on his side and want to help." She paused, looking from Hobbes to Darien, who eyed her warily from where he still stood across the room.

"Get him to talk," Darien suggested with the utmost caution.

"That too," Alyx agreed with a tip of her head. "Take the Hummer, Keller's people will probably be watching the airports for you." She got a small nod of agreement from Hobbes, which she didn't bother to acknowledge. There was little chance she was wrong. "You will leave in an hour," she decreed, making it quite plain _she_ was in charge of the situation right now.

"An hour? Kid..."

Alyx's eyes narrowed and Hobbes' mouth shut with an audible snap. Whatever argument he'd been about to deliver, forgotten.

"Alyx, you okay?" Darien questioned, and she turned to face him. His confusion at her sudden alteration in attitude coming through loud and clear, but now was not the time to placate him or ease his needless concerns.

"Fine. Now, get moving." She shifted her attention to Graywolf. "Pack, I'll make flight arrangements." Without another word she returned to her office, closing the door against their shocked stares and moved directly to her computer to get to work.

***

"Fawkes, you've been brooding for the last three hours. Now, I gotta admit there are days I'd be more'n happy to staple your trap shut, but this ain't one a'em." Hobbes glanced away from the rear of the sedan that was a precise six car-lengths in front of the Hummer. The driver had to have the cruise control on, given his speed hadn't altered even half a mile per hour since Hobbes had pulled in behind him after the last rest stop. "Spill, did the kid change her mind about gettin' hitched?"

That garnered a response, though not quite the one Bobby was expecting. Darien's head turned from its current position of staring vacantly out the window to lock eyes with Bobby. "Wha... What?" Then the question must have sunk all the way in. "Hell no. Rose would tar and feather her."

Bobby chuckled at the image that conjured up and returned to watching the trunk of the sedan as a semi blew past both of them doing a good 15 miles over the speed limit. "Nice feeling, ain't it? Knowing the kids want you around as much as Alyx does."

"Yeah, it is," Darien replied, and Hobbes could hear the smile that cracked the dour look his partner had been sporting since climbing into the vehicle back in Newport.

"So why the gloomy Gus routine?" Hobbes asked as he finally got tired of playing second car to the sedan train that had sprouted up behind them. A Hummer in a line of Sundaydrivermobiles was just _wrong_.

He caught Fawkes rubbing the back of his head out of the corner of his eye; a sure sign he had something bugging the hell out of him. Since the gland and its evil twin rendition had been shut off that habit of Fawkes' had been fading out of use and generally only made a reappearance when he was in a mood to be serious. Hobbes would just have to wait Fawkes out, as it was a fair bet any prompting would cause him to clam right back up.

"Did Alyx seem... off to you?" Darien finally asked after a few more miles of silent watching of the panoramic views of bare trees and melting snow that flew past.

"Define 'off'," Bobby requested with what he hoped was just the right touch of humor. In truth, he knew exactly what Darien was talking about. "Before or after the mental thunder she set off this morning?"

Bobby felt as much as heard the soft gasp Darien let escape even as he stiffened in the seat in surprise. "Damn. I thought I was the only one who felt that."

"Nope. In fact, Mike mentioned all the kids had headaches from it." Hobbes pulled his eyes from the road in time to see the frown that creased his partner's features. "Fawkes, the kid needs some time to adjust to the mental upgrade. She probably didn't even realize she'd done it. 'Specially considering how ticked off she was at the time."

Darien snorted. "Ticked off is an understatement." He sighed deeply. "I swear I tried to _not_ antagonize Graywolf, but he just..."

"Man, there was nothin' you coulda done. He was spoiling for a fight and gonna do his best to force you into one," Hobbes explained, knowing it was the nothing less than the truth. The fact that Darien had done his best to avoid it had impressed Bobby to no end.

"Yeah, I got that feeling. Damn it," Darien growled. "Like she don't got enough to worry about."

"You mean this ain't a normal week for her?" Bobby asked sarcastically.

"Hobbes, this ain't a normal week for _us_." Darien chuckled dryly. "I'm not sure I've been anywhere near _normal_ in years."

"You and me both, my friend." Hobbes knew there was nothing he could say to ease Darien's concern, so he did the next best thing and tried to distract him. "Grab that file the kid put together for us, and lets see if we can plan our next move."

Darien seemed to take the topic switch in stride, until he opened his mouth again. "What if something went wrong and even she doesn't know it?" he asked as he reached for the portfolio containing all the info they had to date, and which had been tossed on the backseat along with their bags.

Hobbes squeezed and released the steering wheel several times before answering, a preferable option to throttling his partner while driving. "Darien, there is nothing we can do about Michele right now." He neatly slid the Hummer back into the right lane, made sure the road was clear for some distance and turned to look at his partner. "What we _can_ do is try to connect with Lee, just like she told us to."

"'Told us'," Darien snarked. "You mean ordered, right?"

Bobby knew better than to show his own concern at that sudden change of tactic by Alyx, which, while not completely out of character, was still unusual. "It shut you and Gray up, didn't it? 'Sides she _is_ lead on this, whether or not you like it."

"Crap, it's not that and you know it. I just... It usually takes a hell of a lot more than some petty bickering to set her off like that, y'know?" Darien sounded thrown for a total loss and Hobbes couldn't help but admit, if only to himself, that his friend had a definite point. However, as had already been mentioned, there was nothing to be done about it right now.

"Fawkes, if you can't focus in the job at hand, let me know right now so's I can drop you someplace and figure out how to pull this off alone." His tone was harsh, but not overly so. After all this time he knew just the strings to pull to get Fawkes to fall into line.

It took a few minutes, but Darien finally muttered, "Job first," just loud enough to be heard over the rumble of tires across the asphalt. He opened the portfolio, slid out the most recently acquired file and opened it up. He took his time reading the information, and it was a solid 15 minutes before he had obviously absorbed enough to relay what they had to Bobby.

"All right, Keller's holed up at his home today, and, based on the rough floor plan and security schematics, getting in won't be easy - even for me."

Hobbes grunted in acknowledgement, trusting Fawkes to have a reasonably good handle on what he could or couldn't break into. "Why am I not surprised? Any other options? Think from Lee's perspective. If he's wanting to confront Keller, he's gonna need privacy and security he can bypass without too much trouble."

"Maybe. Keller's schedule tomorrow has him at his office in the morning..."

"That won't work. Security'll be tighter than pair of Christina Aguilera's hot pants," Hobbes pointed out, and was mildly surprised when Darien made no comment as to his choice of metaphor. He added, "Getting in through the front door won't be easy for _us_, and it's not likely Lee and his friends would stand a chance in hell."

"Ah, but tomorrow afternoon Keller is attending a luncheon at the Tudor House to schmooze with some visiting Chinese trade reps. All nice and private and out of the way." Darien tapped one of the pages in the folder that lay open in his lap, Hobbes gave it a quick once over, noting it was another rough floor plan, before dragging his eyes back to the windshield and the sudden plethora of idiot drivers. "Since it's not a government building it hasn't received the same high security upgrades. In fact, they run daily tours."

That got Bobby's attention. "Tours? Do they run 'em on Sunday?"

The two men locked eyes for an instant and grinned. "Let's find out." Darien had his cell phone out and was dialing information in record time.

Hobbes watched the road and drove while Darien made arrangements for them to be part of the last tour of the day. It would mean bending a few laws and a bit of creative driving to get there in time, but he was certain they could do it. Thankfully it was Sunday and the traffic would be comparably dead. When Darien snapped the phone shut, Hobbes cleared his throat.

"It won't always be 'job first,' my friend."

Darien shook his head. "Yeah, it will. So long as we are what we are, work will always be first. We don't have any choice, not really."

Hobbes wanted to offer up something to counter Fawkes' disheartening statement, but couldn't think of a damn thing that his cynical friend would believe. Not that Darien seemed to expect any sort of comment based on his swift continuation of the previous subject.

"So we check out the Tudor House today and stake it out tomorrow?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Hobbes agreed and pushed the gas pedal down another inch and watched the speedometer needle crawl up towards 70.

***

Xavier leaned back against the pillows stuffed between his back and the headboard of the larger of the two beds in the Deluxe room at the _Landmark of London_, a five star hotel not far from the location of the school or the girl's home. Not his choice by any stretch of the imagination, as he would have picked someplace far less ostentatious and far less pricey. But Sil had made all the arrangements and signed for the room without batting an eye. The fact that absolutely nothing had bothered her, including what should have been a very uncomfortable plane flight given, by his best guess, she should be _more_ sensitive to the disconnection she felt when in the air and not _less_, caused him to be both confused and concerned. Even worse in some ways was the fact that she didn't seem to notice, or perhaps care, about how he was feeling at the moment, and he was quite certain she was picking up at least all his surface thoughts and emotions.

Thankfully, her very potent anger had burned off swiftly once Fawkes and his partner had left for DC. She had, however, remained cool and distant to him. Had been oddly cold to her children in the time before they too had taken their leave to head to the airport so as to make the flight she had secured seats on. She had been willing to discuss, and that curtly, little more than a basic plan of attack for the next day.

Currently she was typing away at the computer, though he wasn't entirely certain to what end. "Sil, need any help?"

"Not unless you're any good at forgery," she responded, sounding far friendlier than she had in days.

"Forgery? Why?" Xavier asked, wondering if Fawkes' influence had taken Sil over to the dark side completely.

"If we hadn't been quite so rushed I'd've had SIS ranks and badges made up for us." She turned about in her chair and gave him the once over, which astonishingly included a slight smile. "Well, me anyway. Ain't no way you'd ever pass for Brit even if you had the accent nailed. However, I could've proclaimed you 'my American counterpart' or the like." 

"You think we'll need that?" He shifted forward, one hand absently fingering the beaded necklace at his throat.

"I think we can manage without it. Provided I can get what I need from the school's servers. Some days I just love modern technology." She rubbed her hands in what seemed to be barely contained glee, then rotated the chair and began typing quickly. Within minutes she gave a small sound of approval. 

Xavier slipped off the bed and moved to stand behind her. She had successfully accessed the system, but was being blocked by an insistent request for a password. He was about to offer a suggestion or two to bypass it, when she began singing under her breath, "Hi-ho a derry-o, a'hacking we will go." The images on the screen began to shift faster than his eyes could track, informing him that she'd gotten in _her_ way and that she'd have all the data they wanted and more in no time at all. He watched as the occasional page would freeze on the screen, as Sil would examine it in more detail and either save it to the hard drive or continue on.

After about 15 minutes she swam back up out of the depths of cyberspace and shivered lightly as she reconnected with the world about her. "Whoa," she muttered in surprise. "That took about a third the time I was expecting. Cool."

"What do you have?" Xavier grabbed a nearby chair and sat down, finally. He'd been concerned about breaking her concentration once she'd gone in.

"Pretty much everything, including pictures for us." She called one of the images up on the screen, and it was quite obvious Angel had taken after her real father, though the oriental look had been softened somewhat. Long black hair, a slightly darker skin tone than the typical Caucasian, the epicanthic folds about the eyes were nearly nonexistent, and a pair of bright blue eyes that had plainly been inherited from her mother Angela. 

"Good work. I'll see about booking a flight for first thing," Xavier said and proceeded to do so.

"Gray, electronic copies won't do us a bit of good. Especially with me involved. They'll all accuse that they're fakes - that I created them just to prove I was right. And you know it." Sil didn't seem the least upset about the statement, knew it was to be expected given the situation, and he placed the handset back in its cradle.

"So, are we going to steal the hardcopies? We'd risk the same accusations even if the Queen Mum signed the papers herself," Xavier pointed out, hating the fact that they had been forced to wander down this particular back road, even as he fully realized it was true. Whatever information they brought back would have to be above board and unimpeachable to pass muster with Keller and his in-pocket cronies.

"Hard copies? Oh, of a sort." She laughed lightly, but instead of lighting up, her eyes took on a dangerous hue reminiscent of the one he'd seen this morning in at her house. "Xavier, I never planned on going back with anything less than the girl."

While he was still trying to absorb that surprise twist in the plan, Sil picked up her cell phone and pressed a single button. There was a short silence and then, "Hey, Dare, how goes things at your end?"

Xavier growled softly to himself as he stood and returned the chair to its original location. The room may have been spacious, but that didn't mean he was able to find a place where he could no longer hear Sil's half of the conversation, at least not without blatantly hiding in the bathroom or in the hallway. So he headed back to the bed and sat down on the end with a frown on his face at how happy she sounded talking to Fawkes. When she laughed aloud, the downward curve only deepened, and his resolve to try to patch things up between them, to forget Fawkes and the engagement while in London crumbled and he had to force himself not to complain loud and bitterly to the world at large and her in particular.

Alyx covered the mouthpiece with one hand and turned to face him. "They're casing the Tudor House," she told him, and Fawkes apparently heard this and made some commentary that caused her to laugh again.

It took a moment for the significance of the location to register with Graywolf, but once it did the move by the Agency men made perfect sense. The historic site was normally closed to the public on Mondays and was comparatively private, given how close it was to the hustle and bustle of DC proper. It was most certainly not the first time the location had been used for meetings that were slightly more clandestine in nature, and even with all the extra security supplementing Keller's own, Fawkes, with his unique talents, should be able to get in with ease. If Lee were to make an attempt on Keller, the Tudor House would be a prime choice for it.

Gray refocused on Sil; half expecting to hear sweet nothings being whispered to her affianced, but it was all business; spoken with the same ease that she'd used with him just minutes before. He sighed softly. She wasn't doing anything but being herself and here he was letting his stubbornly held onto anger sour his mood instead of taking advantage of the opportunity presented to him. To take this time to remind Alyx why they had become partners, to smooth the ruffled feathers and back-brushed fur and maybe, just maybe, turn the situation, which had been swiftly becoming untenable, around.

A new tactic might just be what was needed right now.

Sil and Fawkes talked for a few more minutes, with the man at the far end of the phone system roughing out the plans he and his partner had made and which she relayed to Graywolf. He noted, however, that she did not reciprocate with her - their - plans; never mentioned nor hinted at what they intended to do to gain the information needed in London. Gray could have told Sil to fill them in that they were planning on, somehow, retrieving the girl and bringing her back to the US, but found himself enjoying the fact she was keeping things from them, that they would be working together and alone on this. Which, as far as he was concerned, was the way it should be. He settled himself further back on the bed, lacing his fingers behind his head as he lay back on the pillows and just watched her through heavy lidded eyes.

Xavier had to admit he much preferred seeing her smile, really smile. Seeing her happy and relaxed and laughing lightly with simple pleasure. Sil had tipped the chair back on its rear legs and set her booted feet on the corner of the desk near her laptop. As he watched, she reached a hand back and freed her hair from the clip that had confined the unruly curls since before leaving her house in Newport. The hair fell loose and, after tossing the clip on the desktop, she ran her fingers through it, separating the entangled strands into individual coils; the light of the table lamp picking up the highlights and making them glitter with a golden hue.

He didn't bother to try to stifle the rush of lust that washed across him. Sil turned her head, her gaze falling heavily upon him. The look was one he hadn't seen before, at least not aimed at him. His heart skipped a beat at the... desire that seemed to be buried in the depths of those molten pools. Desire that he had a hard time believing was meant for him.

Hard. That was not necessarily the best choice of terms given the sudden... rise of certain portions of his anatomy. He could only be thankful he was still wearing the loose-fitting khakis, which made his current condition less than easily discernable. Or so he hoped.

She blinked slowly; not looking away for even a heartbeat as a slow, _knowing_ smile curved her lips upwards. "Try not to steal too many pretties, Dare, they might not let you back in." She chuckled in distracted amusement at whatever was said in response, but her eyes remained locked with Xavier's, much to his surprise. "We'll contact you tomorrow with our progress." She folded the phone and tossed it carelessly next to the computer. She swung her feet off the desk to hit the rug the same time as the front legs of the chair made contact with the semi-solid surface. She smoothly stood and... prowled was the only word he could think of to describe it, across the room to come to rest at the foot of the bed.

Xavier somehow kept his composure even with his blood singing through his veins. "Sil, is everything all right... with Fawkes and Hobbes?" His voice didn't waver the least little amount even when saying _his_ name.

Alyx chuckled softly and shook her head in apparent dismay. "Are the boys really what you want to discuss?" Her words were no more than a throaty purr that caused Gray to swallow with a mouth gone suddenly dry.

He attempted to generate enough saliva to form a coherent argument, but was prevented by her raising a perfectly manicured finger to wag at him. "Denial is futile. I know exactly what you're thinking."

'_Shit_,' Gray mentally swore, wondering how he'd completely forgotten that with her increased abilities it wouldn't matter how careful he was, she'd _know_. He almost wished she hadn't become aware of his feelings for her, thought that he was still nothing more than her partner, and still... invisible to her senses. He felt his cheeks begin burn with embarrassment as the reality of the situation sank in, that she'd probably picked up on every fantasy-related thought that had gone skipping through his mind in the last 15 minutes.

"How sweet," Alyx declared with a smile. "You have no reason to feel embarrassed." She shifted, her hands coming to clasp in front of her.

Gray sat up straighter, his hands dropping to his sides, not quite sure he was interpreting her words correctly, and he in no way wanted to make a mistake on this very delicate subject. "Sil, I thought..."

"Oh yes," she interrupted, "you've _thought_ quite a bit and quite creatively. Don't you think it's about time you _acted_?"

He blinked. There could be no mistake about what she was saying now, but instead of _acting_ he froze. Most of him, anyway, one part went from wavering interest to rigid attention at her words and the tone with which they were spoken. He swallowed several times, his bobbing Adam's apple surely a visible sign of his near lack of composure. When he did finally manage to speak, his voice cracked on the words as if he was no older than a just verging on pubescence boy. "Alyx, I'm not sure I can..."

"Xavier, I seriously doubt you've forgotten _how_." She waved a hand at his obvious arousal with a knowing smirk on her lips. "What was it you wanted to do in Lincoln? Take me from behind right there on the bed, injured or not?" Gray's shocked stare did nothing to phase her; in fact, she seemed to find it amusing. "Hmmm, perhaps a bit more persuasion... so you know I'm serious." In one smooth motion she grasped the hem of her shirt and lifted it up and over her head and released it to fall to the floor by her feet, revealing the cream-colored satin brassiere she wore beneath.

Gray had no idea he could move that fast as he found himself once again seated on the end of the bed, only this time his hands were cupping her cheeks. She slid her arms along his shoulders until her face was directly in front of his. "Now, isn't this better?" she purred, the words tickling their way along his skin and making him shiver lightly.

"Much, tsidi." He then threw caution and doubt to the winds and kissed her. He was not surprised at the incredible surge of downright lust that struck him the instant his lips touched hers. It was electrifying as her abilities kicked in, making even the slightest brush of fingertips along her skin sing with as if with a static discharge - which, of course, was exactly what was happening.

She sighed in seeming contentment and opened her mouth to him, allowing him to taste of the honeyed tea she'd been drinking most of the evening. He untangled one hand from her hair to slip its way down her torso, brushing down the side of one firm breast to curve about her waist and pull her closer. While most assuredly enjoying himself, niggling concerns began poking at the far more rational part of his mind, and no matter how many times his libido told them to take a long walk off a very short company pier, they insisted on being addressed _right_ _now_. He dragged himself up out of the dangerously intoxicating pleasure he'd been swimming in to find Sil making short work of the buttons on his shirt. As he pulled slightly away she completed her task and parted the material, her cool hands sliding across the muscles of his chest leaving a literally shocking trail.

"Sil," he mumbled; his tongue strangely useless at the moment, not that it made any real difference, as she would still _hear_ him.

"Mmmmmm," she vocalized, the sound vibrating against the side of his neck and very nearly making him forget what it was that had been so damn important that he'd stopped kissing her.

But he did recall and part of him couldn't believe that he was actually going to say this, but he felt oddly compelled to do so. "What about Fawkes?"

"What about him?" she murmured in response.

"Sil, are you going to leave him?" he asked, needing to know if she was indeed choosing him over the man she'd become engaged to only a day ago.

Without allowing her tongue to miss a beat she laughed, "Why would I do that?"

Her words created a roiling turmoil of confusion deep within him, though it did little to cool his ardor. His hand still slipping along her warm flesh, noting the thin layer of perspiration that had sprung up making her feel slick to the touch, allowing his hand to slip easily across her belly and up to cup one firm breast. He couldn't seem to find the strength to push her away, even as his hind-brain shouted for him to do so while calling him nothing more than a thrice be damned fool for allowing this - whatever this was - to continue. He wanted to look her in the eyes as he spoke, but the part of him that was in control would not move her away, at least not while she was doing _that_ with her hands.

"Won't Fawkes be upset when he learns that you... that we... Ah, damn, tsidi."

"Gray, I'm not planning on telling him, so why would you?" she questioned as the fingers of one hand tapped teasingly along his straining erection.

"Shouldn't I?" he countered, with some far more animal part of his mind screaming at him to just _shut up_ _and get on with the sex now thank you very much_. Alyx straightened, her hands stopping their arousing wandering, which made that voice shout, '_Now look what you did, idiot_.'

She shrugged. "If you must, but I doubt it would change anything. I've slept with his worst enemy, the man who killed his brother, and we're still together."

Xavier blinked his eyes, so utterly blown away by her casual tone that for a long moment he wasn't able to form a reply. More than long enough for her to assume his silence was acceptance and lean back in to run her tongue across his lips. "Alyx, you can't be with both of us," he pointed out astutely, thinking it should be obvious to her given the discord that had hung heavy between him and Fawkes for the last week.

She began to shake, her forehead coming to rest upon his shoulder and Gray feared he'd said the wrong thing and upset her unduly. When her laughter registered he knew that his assumption was very wrong and it bothered him. Nothing that had occurred in the last 20 minutes made any sense, he suddenly realized, and yet he couldn't really point to anything that was _wrong_, so he continued with his part in the game that she seemed to be playing.

"Shush-yahz, of course I can." She raised her head slowly, a sly smile snaking its way across her face. He frowned slightly and her hand came up to caress his cheek. "Come now, you want sex and I'm more than willing, so what's the problem?"

"Sil..."

"Look, a romp is a romp, Xavier. I still fully intend to marry Darien. There are... advantages on so many levels by having him locked into a commitment with me. Not the least of which is leverage to get him away from Charlie... or join him at the Agency, if I choose." Alyx rattled all this off in such a way that it frightened Xavier. He felt as if someone had poured ice water in his veins.

"Sil," he tried again, but she ran right over the top of his words as if she had never heard him.

"You could come along for the ride. Charlie'd be more than happy to have an agent of your skill. The Agency may not have all the toys, but they do have intel and knowledge that makes hunting Bin Laden look like small potatoes." She wiggled her hips, her breasts swaying gently before his eyes, which was effective in melting a fair portion of the ice. Hell, parts of him - one part to be exact - had never been affected at all.

"Alyx, I can't do that," he announced hoarsely.

"No? Well, that's all right. CIA is cool. I can play with you on duty and with Darien when I get off." The laughter fell from her lips like liquid Quicksilver only to crystallize and shatter as it struck at his heart. Her fingers were trailing slowly down the centerline of his chest, her touch more than enough to keep his heart pounding and the blood flowing to regions he'd much prefer it not. But, while his body might be continuing its interest in bedding her, his heart and more importantly his mind weren't. She was in the process of unbuckling his belt when he grasped her gently by both wrists and moved them away from him.

"No, Alyx, not like this," he decided, his voice arctic cold.

Her eyes narrowed, the heat, the desire to be replaced with disdain. "Why am I not surprised?" She freed her hands and sneered, "Go take a cold shower, Xavier. Not that it'll do you much good at this point. _I_ have work to do." With that she scooped up her shirt, turned her back on him and pulled it on as she stalked back to the desk.

Gray snarled in pure frustration, stood, one huge ache through his cock and balls, and headed for the shower knowing full well she was correct and that there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell cold water would make any difference to his current condition.


	19. Chapter 19

Author's Note: Please keep in mind that the events in this story take place in April of 2002. Why is this important? Several plot points could not happen were the story to take place later than 2002. And, no, I'm not going to tell you which ones. That's for me to know and you to find out. Once again, I apologize for the use of periods all through the story, FanFiction(dot)net still refuses to acknowledge _my _formatting, no matter what they say they've fixed or added. Very, very, _very_ irritating to say the least. --AXZ

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19

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The coffee was terrible, bitter and so acidic that no amount of cream or sugar could hope to make it anything vaguely resembling palatable. However, it also appeared to have three times the caffeine a normal cup of the same size would contain. And, given the jet lag, it was something desperately needed. The horrid taste of the dark brown liquid competed with the damp fog laden breeze that drifted in the partially open window and which carried not only the sounds of the cars and passersby, but exhaust fumes. A lovely combination on any day, and greatly under-appreciated by visitors.

Most of the pedestrians were obviously locals doing nothing more than whatever their daily late-morning tasks required of them. The lone exception was an American couple, mid-western by the accent, that were dragging their plainly unhappy kids down the street to see all of the sites in the area on foot. The Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street, Madame Tussauds', the Planetarium, the Royal Academy of Music and Regents Park, to name a few, were all within blocks of each other.

The snort of amusement was unexpected after the silence that had weighed heavily in the rental vehicle for the last several hours. "Oh man, if only Ma and Pa Kettle there knew what their beloved two point five were _really_ thinking." There was a touch of humor to the words, almost as if the speaker was sorely tempted to share those thoughts with the very people from which they had been unwittingly stolen. Thoughts which shouldn't have been overheard in the first place, as they had nothing to do with the job at hand.

"Sil," Graywolf admonished, but cautiously, as she'd been very temperamental all morning, and he was certain it had little to do with the fact she'd not slept at all during the overnight hours. He'd been walking about more than a touch discomfited, still trying to figure just what the devil had gone on the previous evening. Part of him wanted to discuss the... incident, but she had made it quite plain that she had no interest in doing so.

"Lighten up, would ya. Gotta keep myself amused somehow while killing time," Alyx griped over the cup of tea she held in her hands. "I'd forgotten how boring stakeouts can be. I should have bought a paper and done the crossword." She shifted and sat up to lean one arm along the steering wheel as she focused on the entrance to the school just half a block down the street.

"What are we waiting for, anyway?" he asked, for the first time today venturing forth to try and find out what she had planned.

"The right moment. Need to time things so this'll go the way _I_ want," she responded as she sipped her drink. The scent of the Earl Grey tea was far more aromatic than the contents of his cup. Her head tipped to the side and her gaze turned inward for an instant. "About 10 more minutes and all will be ready."

Confused, more due to her lack of sharing info than her current overly focused behavior he asked, "What's in 10 minutes?"

"Faculty meeting, which will conveniently leave the admin offices run by those lower down the food chain. The pretty papers I had printed up last night, along with corresponding data I placed in their computer system, should be more than enough to fool them and cover our tracks for a few hours." She finished off the tea, climbed out of the car to toss the empty cup in a nearby trash can, stretched her arms over her head and then leaned against the hood.

With a grumble Xavier got out as well and joined her. The sun was trying to finally burn off the fog, causing a stray beam of sunlight to illuminate most of the block. Sil raised her face with eyes closed in sheer pleasure. When the fog tried to roll back in, he cleared his throat to get her attention. "Sil, this might go a bit smoother if I know what you have planned."

She didn't even turn to look at him, just continued gazing off into the distance while the sunbeam bathed her with the minimal heat it managed to provide. Then the fog won its battle against the light, covering the momentary hole created through the murk, and she sighed in obvious dissatisfaction with the return of the damp clouds. "Huh. I suppose." She reached out and set her hand lightly atop his, and he just barely controlled the sudden impulse to stiffen in reaction. In an instant, her plans for getting the girl out of the school and back to DC were dumped into his mind. No warning, no gentle entry; just poured in as if he were nothing more than an inanimate object with no feeling and no pain receptors.

He sucked in a breath between clenched teeth as the stabbing pain that accompanied the flood of imagery eased to a dull throbbing smack between his eyes. "Shit, Sil, you could've at least warned me."

Alyx shrugged and yawned in what seemed to be complete and total boredom. "It's just a headache. Deal."

Gray held his tongue on the retort that wanted to burst forth, somehow knowing her response would be one he'd enjoy even less than the headache he was currently nursing. So he instead turned his attention to the information she had so unceremoniously imparted to him. He had to give her credit for boldness, if nothing else. The time difference between the United Kingdom and the US created some minor complications, but she seemed to have accounted for everything.

Once they had the girl, a task that had been granted a reasonable window for completion, they were to head for the Waterloo train station to catch the Eurostar to Paris. From there, it was a trip on the Concorde, which would land them in Dulles around 7pm local time. That would explain why she had not checked them out of the Landmark, even though they had brought all of their bags with them. It would be quite effective in muddying the trail and hopefully keep Keller from learning his - Lee's - daughter had gone missing for that much longer.

There were still plenty of potential problems that couldn't be helped, but they would just have to count on Keller wanting the situation kept under the rose bush when his, most likely hysterical, wife called to say Angel was gone, and with US government agents. Gray could only hope that when they landed in DC it wouldn't be into a nest of angry hornets.

He swam back up out of his mind, refocused on the world about him and turned to look at his partner who had perched herself on the hood of the rental with her feet resting on the chrome bumper. She had her elbows balanced on her knees, and her hands curved about her face as she warily eyed everyone and everything on the street. The average passerby would probably think she was bored or brooding, but Gray knew better.

"Sil,"

"Mmmmm," she responded without moving a millimeter. "Problem?"

Gray shook his head. "Not really, you appear to have everything covered." He glanced up and down the street, making note of the pair of Bobbies parked in their vehicle about a quarter mile south of the school. "A question, though."

"Shoot,"

"How are we going to get the girl?"

Alyx dropped her hands to the hood, gave herself a slight push and slid gracefully to the ground, the long coat fanning out behind her like a peacock's tail. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn she'd done it on purpose. She flashed him a quick grin, but her eyes... her eyes held this dangerous glint that caused a sudden rush of adrenaline to course through his veins, and for one brief instant he was frightened of her.

"Like this." She strode away and, as if he were no more than a puppet on a string, Gray found himself jerked into forward motion to trail just a few steps behind her. Within moments they were inside the lobby of the school and headed for the administrative offices.

There was one woman present and she looked exceedingly harried, trying to answer phones, type up something on an ancient typewriter and field the questions of a couple of pre-teens who appeared to be even less thrilled to be there. Alyx fished a sheaf of papers out of the interior pocket of her coat and set them down on the counter just as the unhappy girls were shooed away and told to return later.

"Can I help you?"

"I certainly hope so," Alyx stated, making an effort to sound pleasant. "We're here to collect Angel Keller and escort her to her father." She slid the papers across the polished marble and into the woman's hands.

"I'm not sure..." she began, eyes widening as she perused the official-seeming documents.

"There should be a confirmation in your phone logs," Alyx added, without a trace of concern that this might fall apart before they got very far.

"I... let me check." It didn't take more than a few seconds for her to find the notation in question in the computer's files. "I'll need more information..."

"Need to know, ma'am," Gray tossed in, following Alyx's lead. "We're on a tight schedule, so if you would arrange for the girl to leave class..."

"Of course," was the quick agreement. "I'll need to see your identification and then contact her mother."

"No need," Alyx assured her. "Another team is contacting her and making travel arrangements for her and Connor. Our sole job is to protect Angel."

"Protect? Oh dear, has something happened?"

Graywolf was mildly surprised at the upward twitch of Alyx's lips, as if she were trying not to laugh. "Ma'am, we are not at liberty..."

"Oh, right, right. Let me just inform Headmaster Warren and..." The woman froze mid-statement.

"Sil?"

"Taking too bloody long," Alyx complained. She closed her eyes for a moment, her breathing becoming slow and steady. Gray had no idea what she did next, but he _felt_ it, although it didn't seem to affect him. "That should do it," she said softly as her eyes opened.

The woman before them shuddered lightly and began to move again. "Umm, oh, what..."

"Angel Keller," Alyx prompted.

"Oh yes, Agent Morris, I'll have her sent right down." She stepped aside and typed quickly at the computer. "She's in chemistry right now, so it will be just a few minutes." The handset of the phone was already rising towards her ear.

"That's fine." Alyx moved away from the counter over to the hard-backed chairs provided for visitors.

Gray grabbed her by the biceps and spun her about, using himself to block the view of the school employee. "Agent Morris?" he hissed, keeping his voice low. "What did you do?"

She yanked her arm from his grasp and responded at full volume, "What I needed to, all right? 'Sides, Morris could do with a little karmic retribution." Alyx laughed lightly, that dangerous glint back in her eyes.

"Damn it, Sil, do you want to screw this up?"

"Down boy," Alyx admonished. "No one in this building will think anything I don't want them to. At this point, they won't ever remember _us_ being here, just Morris and Trent."

"Morris and Trent. Why?" Graywolf was having a hard time comprehending her claim of having taken over every mind in the building, which shouldn't have been possible, at least, not without causing her what should have been a debilitating headache. And... and it just wasn't something she did. Never before had Alyx resorted to this type of over the top mind control. She'd never needed to. They'd always been able to find a workable solution that didn't cross the line between use and abuse of her abilities. For her to do so now, and on such a grand scale, just made no sense.

"Why not?" she countered, "Leaves another wild goose for Keller to chase when the excrement hits the rotating blades."

"You can't do this," he snapped, hoping she'd see reason. "You can't just change their minds to suit your whims."

"Can't I?" she sneered. "Shall I give you a personal demonstration of exactly what I can and can't do?"

Gray was taken aback, baffled by the cold viciousness in her voice. He tried to come up with some statement to placate her before she decided to _make_ him do whatever she wanted. His reprieve came when Alyx spun about just as a young girl who matched the picture they'd found in the school's files entered the office, backpack slung over one shoulder and more books in her arms.

"Miss Remington?" Angel queried of the woman they'd been chatting with minutes before.

"Angel?" Alyx asked as she approached the girl, who nodded with some nervousness. "We're from the CIA," Alyx pulled out her badge and showed it to the girl, "and your father sent us to escort you back to the States."

The girl went from nervous to suspicious in an instant. "Why would he send you? Where's my mom? And what about Connor?"

Alyx stepped forward and set gentle fingers on the girl's cheek. "Everything will be fine," she said in an oddly lyrical tone.

Angel's eyes unfocused as Gray watched, making it plain Alyx was doing whatever was necessary to sway and probably calm the girl. When Alyx released her, Angel blinked twice and then smiled. "We're going to see my dad?"

Alyx nodded. "Definitely."

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"See anything, Fawkes?" Hobbes lowered the binoculars and glanced down at his partner from his vantage point halfway up a mid-sized evergreen tree that was doing a fair job of hiding him from view. Darien was nearby; lying on the ground under some neatly trimmed juniper bushes, with his teeth chattering so loud Hobbes could hear them from 10 feet above.

"Just the same mooks patrolling the same spots over and over and over. They're leaving holes a semi could drive through," Darien responded, making his low opinion of the security set-up plain in his tone.

Hobbes chuckled. He had to give Darien credit, he was probably freezing his cajones off down there in the snow and could be bitching and moaning, yet he was doing the job. The kid was right, Fawkes had grown up somewhere along the way without any of them really noticing it. Although it was looking like this particular idea wasn't going to pan out. They'd been here for over an hour now, and, much like Fawkes had said, they'd seen nothing more than the same guards.

Both of them, for their own reasons, had been certain this was the best and least likely to be spotted way to sneak onto the grounds of Tudor House. They had discovered a rarely used and poorly maintained road behind the estate, parked the Hummer and jumped the wall once they had determined the security consisted of a metal gate rusted into place and covered with winter dead vines - raspberry, based on the thorns. The gate was probably invisible during the summer months, especially with the screening of tress and topiary hiding the wall from the house and gardens. Together they conspired to encourage fallible human minds to forget the gate's very existence.

The few cameras were easily avoided, with either Quicksilver or by simply staying to the shadows. The occasional blatant footprint left behind would most likely be attributed to those who belonged here instead of intruders.

Hobbes caught a flash of movement to his left. "Fawkes..."

"Hobbes, ten o'clock," Darien shifted, sliding out from under the bush, "and at eight." The Quicksilver slipped over him so fast that Bobby had no time to protest.

With a soft grumble, but without knocking a single flake of snow from the tree, Hobbes climbed to the ground and followed the trail his partner had left behind. He caught up just in time to see the white clad stranger kick out at nothing. An instant later, the snow exploded from a nearby bush as something impacted it. The flying snow revealed a man-like shape lying within the greenery, where before there had been nothing but air.

Hobbes pulled his gun out and aimed it at the stranger. "Freeze," he ordered, though he made certain to keep his voice down. No need to attract any of those so-called guards.

Surprisingly, the man did as he was told, hands rising partway as dark eyes glared murderously at Hobbes from the slits in the pale mask hiding his features.

"Fawkes, you alive?"

The bush shook itself and groaned. "Yeah. Can someone else play punching bag next time?" Darien groused, shedding the Quicksilver along with the dusting of snow as he pushed himself upright. His sudden appearance clearly impressed their _friend_, whose eyes widened at the sight. "Least I got im, right?"

"Let's find out." Hobbes cautiously moved towards the man. "We're lookin' for William Lee."

The guy started. "Why? To hand him over to Keller?"

"No," Darien stated, sounding as serious as he could muster while wincing at the new collection of bruises he was surely sporting. "To try to figure out what Keller is _really_ up to."

Another shock. "So am I." Moving slowly, he removed the mask covering his face to reveal a man in his forties. "I am William Lee. And you are the men we encountered in Lincoln."

"Yeah, we are." Hobbes holstered his weapon, which was effective in getting Lee to relax, if only marginally. "Look, we're on your side in this, but we need you to back off until we have some more intel."

Lee shook his head. "You have no idea what he has done to me."

"So tell us," Darien suggested. "C'mon, we've already screwed up your plans here, and we might be able to help if we knew what exactly is going on."

"And why should I trust you?" Lee questioned, his eyes narrowing.

Darien sighed. "'Cause you ain't got much choice," he pointed out, which didn't really help build Lee's confidence, Hobbes noted.

Hobbes knew he was going have to do something to convince Lee that they could be trusted. "How about, cause we coulda told Keller about you anytime in the last week? Or cause Keller's just as likely to shoot us as you, at this point? Or, the obvious one, we coulda raised a ruckus and had security swarming all over you by now?" He paused for a few moments to allow his words to sink in. "We ain't got no interest in handing you over to Keller, but if you want to resolve this with minimal damage you gotta give us something to work with." Hobbes' final sentence wasn't _quite_ a plea, but it was close enough, and Lee plainly saw it that way, as the man's look changed to one of wary trust.

"What we do know doesn't make much sense," Darien offered up, and it was the right move.

"I bet," was the wry reply from Lee. "You know Keller and I were partners?" Both Darien and Bobby nodded. "Then you know I was deep undercover in China." A statement that required no acknowledgement. "What you don't know is that I've been working all this time. After I was warned about my cover possibly being compromised, I tracked down my family that still lived in the country and went into hiding for a couple years. Angela and the baby were moved into Witness Protection as a precaution." He ran a hand through his hair, mussing the black locks. "I was such a trusting fool. But he was my best friend. I had no reason to believe he'd betray me. It wasn't until I ran into Peterson that I had even the slightest suspicion that something was wrong."

"Peterson?" Darien asked.

Lee laughed harshly. "I trained him. He was damn surprised to see me... alive that is. He's the one who told me Angela and the baby were dead and buried." His hands balled into fists, the anger easily read on his features.

"Why'd you stay in China all this time?" Hobbes had his suspicions about that one and wanted them confirmed.

Lee gazed past Hobbes' shoulder, focusing on something in the mid-distance. "I've been running missions, or so I thought. Keller claimed that it was too difficult to insert anyone else and, since I was already there, I was too valuable a resource to waste. I've been sending him all kinds of information for over a decade."

"No wonder he's the golden boy over at the State Department. He had inside info," Darien said, turning to meet Hobbes' eyes.

"That he did, my friend." Hobbes met Lee's wary gaze. "We think your daughter is alive," he stated, hoping it would be the key to convince Lee to work with them instead of going haring off on his own and get himself killed. Hobbes wasn't known for his fondness for traitors, and if Lee's story proved out to be true, Keller was going to be on Bobby's personal shit list.

For an instant, joy flashed across Lee's countenance, only to be quickly replaced with disbelief. "You haven't any more proof of that than I do," he growled softly. Clearly, the seeds of distrust were still sown about them, but in truth, Hobbes couldn't blame the man. Lee had spent the last 15 years of his life being played by an expert in the game.

"You're right, _we_ don't, but we know someone who does," Darien told Lee, who spun about to glare at the taller man. "There were four of us in Lincoln, remember?"

Lee nodded slowly. "How is the girl?" he asked, the touch of guilt in his tone seemingly honest.

"Kid's doing okay," Hobbes responded, wanting to get the conversation back on track. "Following up on a lead. If you can hold off just 24 hours we..."

"I've waited too long already. I lost my wife. I lost my daughter. I want answers and Keller is the only one who has them." Lee's hand moved in a short chopping motion and suddenly they were surrounded. His three companions stepped out from behind the flora that had been screening them from view. Hobbes was more than a little chagrined, though he'd been certain that Lee was not alone, and not just due to Fawkes' spotting more than one of them, he hadn't heard anyone approach.

"Lee..." Hobbes tried, only to be rebuffed.

"Stay out of our way and you won't be harmed," Lee warned. Without a word spoken to each other, the foursome moved off, vanishing out of sight almost as effectively as Fawkes with his built-in camouflage.

"Well, that didn't go like we thought," Fawkes groused, staring after the quartet.

"Maybe not, but we know more than we did this morning." Hobbes glanced over towards the gardens and the patrolling guards, noting they hadn't changed their pattern during their little tete a tete.

"Now what?" Fawkes was plainly out of ideas. "Wait for Alyx and Graywolf to get back?"

"That and stopping Lee from doing anything stupid. C'mon." Hobbes strode back the way they'd come, being cautious of the security cameras. In no time at all, they were back over the wall and slogging through the knee deep snow towards the Hummer. There they learned their all but forgotten back road had been rediscovered, and not by the good guys.

"Crap," Fawkes muttered, echoing Hobbes' own sentiments. "Who are they?"

"Keller's hired hit squad from the look a'things. That's all military gear." Hobbes frowned, trying to think of a way out of the situation. There were six of them and it was obvious they were just waiting for the he and Fawkes to reappear, and that they knew exactly whose Hummer it was.

"Wait em out?" Darien suggested, not sounding too confident with the idea.

Hobbes grinned. "I'm thinking we should throw them a surprise party, partner." He nudged Fawkes over and they hunkered down behind a screening of bushes. "Think you can circle around and come at em from the other side?"

"Can do. Take out as many as we can and book it for the Hummer?"

"Got it in one. Once you distract them I'll make sure our ride is ready to roll." Hobbes withdrew his gun and flicked the safety off. Fawkes nodded and let the Quicksilver flow across his body. After the first couple of steps, Hobbes couldn't hear his partner, the snow muffling the sound of his footsteps, though he could see the prints, but there wasn't a whole lot either of them could do about it. Hobbes shifted about, moving so he could get a clear shot at the tires of the two vehicles blocking in their ride.

He didn't have to wait long. The first guy who'd been walking along the tree line furthest from his location went down without a sound, which led Bobby to believe that Fawkes had picked up something to use as an impromptu weapon. The second went down almost as easily, but managed to shout a warning before dropping to lie on his back in the snow, dazed and out of the fight. The third one spun about, gun at the ready, just as Fawkes took a swing at him, Hobbes guessed. The impact was less effective and a struggle - an odd-looking one, admittedly - ensued.

The three near Hobbes all turned to watch their compatriot doing the mambo with himself, giving him the opportunity to slip out behind them. He cold cocked one with the handle of his gun, squatted down, pulled out the knife he carried everywhere like a good boy scout and plunged it into the tire. It instantly began to deflate with a loud hissing noise, which, of course, attracted the other two mooks standing nearby. Hobbes took one out with a quick combination of punches, leaving him on the ground next to the vehicle.

The third wasn't as easy, and by the time Hobbes had him out of commission, Fawkes was visible and in trouble. One arm twisted painfully up behind his back and the other wrestling for the pistol that was waving about in an increasingly dangerous manner.

Hobbes dove for the Hummer and got it started. He leaned out the window and fired twice, taking out the right front tire of the other vehicle and hitting the radiator, making doubly sure it wasn't going anywhere. The distraction was enough to give Fawkes the opening he needed. He twisted about and managed to lift his knee up and nail the other guy right in groin, sending him to the ground with a yowl of pain.

"Move it, Fawkes," Hobbes shouted, which was effective in getting his injured partner staggering in the right direction. There was blood running from a cut on his cheek and he was holding his ribs again, but he was up and moving. Always a plus these days.

Fawkes yanked the door open and slid in even as Bobby floored it, the tires spinning for a second in the soft snow. "You okay there?"

"Yeah," Fawkes groaned. "Nothing an ice pack or two won't fix." His hand went to his cheek and he swore when he saw the blood. "We need to hole up for a while."

"Can do. Not the kid's place though. I'm betting Keller has his goons watching it." Hobbes mulled the options and decided to just choose a hotel at random - after hitting a drug store for supplies.

"How're we gonna find Lee now?" Darien whined, sounding tired as well as in pain.

Hobbes concentrated on his driving as they came to the end of the dirt road and turned right onto the well-maintained side street, keeping his eyes peeled for a tail. "Where would you go next, if you were Lee?"

Darien thought about it for several minutes, while Hobbes made sudden turns to reveal any followers, all the while heading towards more populated streets. "Other than lucking out and running into Keller someplace public and unguarded... I'd head to his home. He's gonna end up there eventually."

"Exactly, my friend, exactly."


	20. Chapter 20

20

.

_Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once wrote, "All things must change to something new, to something strange."_

_Man, he didn't know the half of it._

.

.

Another huge glob of half-melted snow fell with a wet _splat_ on the windshield, causing Darien to start out of the light doze into which he had fallen. "Crap." He straightened and watched the snow slip its way downward until disappearing under the edge of the hood. "Did I miss anything?"

"Not really," Hobbes responded, still focused on the high wall of the estate about a block away. They had parked on the border of the land owned by Keller, just on the edge of a residential neighborhood. The road and estate were old, the neighborhood new, and the tree they'd parked under ancient with deep shadows that even the nearby streetlights could not penetrate even in the depths of winter. From where they sat, they could see the roof of the house and the security cameras mounted on the wall with inconvenient overlapping arcs. The place was lit up like a Christmas tree, making it obvious that Keller was on alert tonight.

Darien glanced at his watch, pressing the button which backlit the face. "It's almost nine, are you sure Lee's gonna make his move tonight?" It was cold in the Hummer and Hobbes refused to run the engine for fear of attracting attention to their position.

"Don't see as he has much choice after talking to us. He's gotta assume we went right to Keller as soon as he was outta sight. Us running into Keller's bully-boys is probably why the place looks like it's under siege." Bobby lowered the field glasses and turned to face Darien. "If we're onto him, he's gonna assume Lee is too."

"But the place is wired tighter than Fort Knox; ain't no way Lee and his buds are gonna be able to get in there. Shit, I'm damn sure I can't and that's _with_ the Quicksilver." He ran a hand through his hair and tried to smother a yawn.

"What do you suggest, Fawkes?" Hobbes asked in all seriousness.

Darien threw up his hands in irritation. "I don't know, but sitting here freezing my ass off sure as hell ain't useful." He grimaced, knowing he was going into full blown bitch and moan mode, but he was tired, he ached from the pounding he'd taken earlier and he was sick of being _cold_. "Sorry," he mumbled and got a grunt of acknowledgement from Hobbes. "Any word from Alyx or Graywolf?"

"Silence of the Lambs, my friend, and it has me worried."

"Marvelous," Darien grumbled. "So, we can't get in, the place is too big for us to spot Lee before he jumps the fence unless we have the Dame Fortuna on our side, which I'm positive we don't, and we don't got a frickin' clue what's going on. Does that about sum things up?"

"Yep," Hobbes stated, plainly not in the mood to trade barbs with his grouchy partner at the moment.

"So what _are_ we doing? Waiting for a sign from above?" Darien questioned just as the lights on the far side of the wall went out.

"Fawkes..."

"I didn't do it," he argued, looking just as surprised as Bobby.

Hobbes snorted. "Didn't think you did. Though your timing was impeccable." He twisted about, looking at the homes that could be seen down the street. "Everyone else still has power from the looks of it. Only Keller's place is dark." Darien turned his head to meet his partner's eyes. "You asked for a sign, kimosabe."

"Next time remind me to _not_ ask for one, kay?" Darien didn't see any movement out there, but it was a fair bet that if Lee and his friends hadn't made their move yet they were going to now. "We just gonna sit here?"

"Nope." Hobbes set the binoculars down on the console between the seats and started the engine. He pulled the Hummer out into the empty street and drove towards the gated entrance to the estate. "Thought we'd join the party."

"Hobbes, the gate is gonna be locked tight," Darien pointed out, not liking the sudden fierceness in Bobby's posture.

"You're probably right." The Hummer increased speed. "But I wasn't planning on waiting to be buzzed in."

Darien made a grab for the seatbelt and buckled up as the driveway came into view. "You break her car and Alyx is gonna take it outta your hide. She'll make you baby-sit Rose for the next decade."

"That ain't much of threat." Hobbes smiled grimly as he gunned the motor. "'Sides, knowing the kid, this beast'll take it just fine." He whipped the Hummer about, fully intending to ram the gates, only to see them swinging open. Hobbes straightened the vehicle and flew down the long drive to the roundabout that was directly in front of the impressive home. He screeched to a stop and Darien suddenly remembered that he needed to breathe.

"Son of a bitch," he muttered, feeling lightheaded for an instant. "Can we not do that again? Like ever?"

Bobby opened his door and climbed out into the chilly night air. "No promises." He waved at Darien. "Get a move on, Fawkes, I got a bad feeling about this."

Darien joined Hobbes a moment later and both started towards the short flight of steps that lead up to the darkened entryway. "_You_ got a bad feeling? Then we're certainly headed for deepest shit." Together they mounted the steps, Hobbes drawing his gun, plainly liking the lack of guards even less than Darien did. Lights could be seen through the windows, but they appeared to be from flashlights as opposed to a generator powering some of the systems. With no effort, Hobbes opened the front door, cautiously poked his head into the pitch black interior, and then gave Darien the all clear.

Once inside they heard voices, unhappy voices, and followed them towards the rear of the house to a large open area that overlooked the yard in back. There was Keller, and at least six of his goons, complete with weapons and high-powered flashlights, and kneeling on the floor were four figures dressed in black. One of them was William Lee.

Hobbes took in the situation quickly and then, much to Darien's dismay, strode purposefully into the room. "You started the party without us?"

Keller's men quickly split their attention between Lee and company and the new visitors to his humble abode. "You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?" Keller spat, clearly beyond pissed off at this point.

"Nah, not our style," Darien retorted, not about to let a few guns waving in his direction bother him... too much.

"Kill them all," Keller ordered with a look of unholy glee in his eyes.

That's when the lights suddenly came back on.

.

Xavier couldn't remember how they had gotten onto the estate. In fact, the last thing he could clearly recall was arguing with Alyx about her _plan_, which he'd thought was foolish and far too risky with Angel in tow. The next thing he knew they were calmly walking across the snow covered lawn towards the covered pool and the well-lit rear of the house. He was nursing a headache of volcanic proportions, which suggested that Alyx had had a hand in his sudden forgetfulness. They arrived just in time to see four people dragged into a room, their masks ripped off to reveal three men and a woman with a definite far-eastern look about them. Keller was speaking, but Gray, standing outside in the melting snow, couldn't make out the words.

The situation had changed much like the weather had, but for good or ill Graywolf was unsure. "Sil..."

"Hmmm?" She didn't even glance back in his direction, just continued her confident forward stride, making no effort to hide herself or the girl close by her side, but he had the odd feeling that no one would notice them even if looked at directly. The entire trip back to the States she had blithely played with peoples minds as she deemed necessary and even seemed to delight in his vocal protests of said actions.

"Sil," he hissed, then reached out to grasp her shoulder, and spun her around to face him when his words had no appreciable affect on her forward motion. "Do you want to get her killed?" He knew that Angel would take no note of his words, as she'd been under Alyx's control ever since their first encounter at the school.

"Not yet," Alyx replied with a hint of a grin. Graywolf frowned deeply, about to put and end to this... this... He wasn't entirely sure what _this_ was, but he was certain it needed to be stopped before they_ all _got killed. "Oh, all right. The pieces are in place anyway." Her eyes flashed with an electric light and the power went out. This was swiftly followed by an uproar inside the house, which included the sounds of a scuffle before flashlights came on and the Asian foursome were once again restrained.

"Now what?" Gray grumbled, wishing he had any clue at all as to what was going on in Sil's head at the moment. But he didn't push his luck, knowing she'd just change his mind for him if he challenged her. He feared she had done so already, as he was pretty damn sure he'd begun to argue with her several times, only to suddenly forget what he was saying or be distracted by something trivial. Right now, he had little choice but to go along for the ride and try his best to protect her from herself. He was beginning to suspect that something, though he had no idea what, had gone wrong when Mike had removed that control programming back in Newport.

"Patience, shush-yahz, all will come clear." The glee in her voice did nothing to buoy up his confidence in what, to him, was a swiftly deteriorating situation. She walked forward, stopping before one of the pairs of French doors, completely unafraid of those within glancing in their direction. Gray, trying to watch everything at once, moved to stand behind the pair of women and survey the situation. He recognized Fawkes' muffled voice with more than a touch of surprise. Alyx had absolutely refused to contact them, which Gray had not liked at all, for even if he hated Fawkes with a passion, it wouldn't prevent him from getting the job done and to do that meant working together. However, his disagreement on the matter had been conveniently forgotten somewhere along the way, leading to the confrontation that now existed.

From within came the words, "Kill them all," which could in no way be a good sign, but all Alyx did was huff softly as if irritated that someone had missed their cue.

The lights snapped back on, brighter than normal based on the reactions of those inside the room. At the same moment, Alyx flung open the doors before her and, Angel in front, stepped through them.

"Boys, play nice." Alyx waved a hand dismissively at the men who swung their weapons about to focus at her. "Oh, please. Something original would have been appreciated." All six men jerked to attention, their arms shifting to hold the guns at military parade rest. They seemed to be all too aware of their plight, eyes rolling wildly, and muscles twitching as they tried to fight the hold she had upon them. Alyx took no notice of their struggles, or so it appeared to Graywolf, their motions nothing more than those of some small insects entangled with in a web of a much larger spider.

"Kid, watch out," Hobbes warned, his near instant shout far too slow for her current ramped up reactions, and needless as she had already taken control of the situation to her satisfaction.

"Morris? What are you doing here? And why is my daughter with you?" Keller asked, staring at the unexpected visitors in surprise.

Xavier noticed the odd look exchanged between Fawkes and Hobbes, and, combined with the warning shouted seconds before, suggested that they saw Alyx as she truly was and not as a phantom copy of Stephen Morris. Though the fact that Keller _knew_ Morris was a twist that Graywolf hadn't expected.

Alyx laughed, full-throated, her hair waving behind her like a banner as she shook her head, but when she spoke her words were deadly, as if the spider had decided which of the miniscule insects trapped within the sticky lines it would feast upon first. "Try again."

A shudder ran through Keller's body, like a leaf ruffled by sunrise breeze. He blinked several times, as if in disbelief of what he saw before him. "_You_. How did you find her?"

Alyx shrugged. "The trail was clear enough, all that money funneled through a dozen accounts and then to your," She coughed delicately, "wife in England." She cocked her head to the side, plainly gauging the man's reactions. "Where some of that money originated is rather... interesting. Wouldn't you say?"

"Kid," Hobbes warned. "Now's not the time."

"Bobby-boy, _this_ is the perfect time. All the pawns are in place and the king is in check." She swung back to Keller. "Or should I say check-mate?"

Keller, much to Graywolf's surprise, reached for a weapon he'd apparently stuffed into the back of his slacks. He swung it about and fired it at Alyx, clearly not even pausing to consider the fact that his daughter, who was easily as tall as the older woman, stood before his target.

The bullet began to slow in mid-air before it traveled more than a yard from the muzzle, but it didn't stop. Just continued it's slow motion movement across the room until finally pausing less than a foot away from Angel's right eye. "Tsk-tsk. You should really hit the range more often. You might have killed her. Or was she who you were aiming for?" The bullet dropped to the tiled floor with a metallic _clink_.

Keller fired three more times, the bullets not slowing one whit until impacting some invisible barrier a yard in front of the pair of women.

"Harrison, for god's sake, stop it," Lee cried out from where he still knelt on the floor. Fawkes and Hobbes had moved over to the quartet, Hobbes' Colt out and at the ready should the need to protect them should become necessary.

Alyx's right hand twitched ever so slightly and Keller's gun was yanked away to spin across the floor where it finally came to rest before Lee, the muzzle pointing in Keller's direction. "Yes, Harrison, stop it. Or is it another case of if you can't have her, no one can'?"

"Is that what all this was about?" Lee questioned, his voice rising. "Because she chose me?"

"Of course it was you fool," Keller spat, full of righteous anger. "Angela was supposed to be _mine_."

Lee seemed to be stunned by this revelation and unable to form a response, but a soft child-like voice filled the gap.

"Daddy?"

Keller's response was quick and full of saccharine sweetness, "It's all right honey. Daddy will take care of everything."

Alyx snorted then shifted slightly to speak directly into the girl's ear, but everyone else could hear the words with ease. "Do you really believe he's your father, Angel?" She straightened and turned to gaze directly upon Harrison Keller, or so Graywolf assumed from his position still directly behind her. "Him? With that blonde hair and blue eyes? Well... the eyes maybe, I suppose, but we all know you got those from your mother. Who, by the way, is not the woman we left behind in London." She tipped her head slightly to the right. "A'course you're not Connor's father either, are you? How much did you have to pay her to take on the role? To play your wife and be the mother to some stranger's child? Did you pay her to get pregnant? Certainly makes it look as if you have a happy marriage, though anyone with even a basic ability at math could figure out that there is no way you could have fathered Connor. And that with being generous for the possible conception date."

Keller twitched, but did no more than that, which made no sense to Gray. Had he been in a similar position he probably would have tried to shut Alyx up by any means. Yet, the man just stood there, his jaw clenched in rage and eyes trying to burn a hole through Alyx's head. "Tsidi...."

She ignored his quiet attempt to garner her attention, the fingers of one hand running lightly through the girl's hair. "William Lee Mercherson, however, is the right age, has the right racial mix and is looking for something quite precious to him." Alyx curved a hand about the girl's throat when Keller surged forward a single step, but no more than that as she tugged on one of her "threads" and held him firmly in place. The spider not yet done playing with her meal. "You can get up now, Mr. Lee, they won't harm you."

Lee glanced to his compatriots and as one they got to their feet. "Thank you," he said.

Alyx laughed brightly. "I wouldn't do that just yet," she advised.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Keller yelled, plainly infuriated at her interference in whatever little game he had going on. "You can't just walk in here and... and take over my home."

"I'd say you're wrong about that," Darien pointed out in a dry as dust tone.

"Kid, we can handle it from here," Hobbes added, his voice painfully controlled, almost as if he suspected something was wrong.

"But we haven't gotten to the good part yet," she whined, her voice grating. "Don't you want to know just why dear old Harrison went through all this trouble?" She turned to Lee. "Why your best friend deceived you?" Then back to Keller. "Why he so carefully planned every single moment of his life since your high school prom?"

"Shut up you... you bitch."

Gray had no idea what she did, but suspected it was painful as Keller paled and swallowed with obvious difficulty even as he remained defiant.

"Alyx," Darien said warningly, his voice dropping an octave. "Let him talk if he wants."

"Yes," Lee agreed, clearly wanting the information just to satisfy his own needs. "Tell _me_ why you did this. Why you destroyed everything I held dear."

Alyx must have been playing with Keller's mind, pulling knobs and pushing buttons, bringing to the forefront every piece of information that she wanted to be heard, for the response burst from him like a dam collapsing under the onslaught of heavy rains. "Why? You really are a fool. It was all for Angela. She was _mine_. Heart, mind, and soul." Keller moved, pacing forward jerkily. "And she picked _you_." The personal insult was plain in his voice. "She was meant for better than the likes of _you_. For me. I just had to show her. And you made it so easy for me."

"We were friends, Harris. How could you do that?" Lee questioned; the pain in his voice easy to hear.

"Friends? No, we were competitors. The two best in Angela's eyes, but somehow you blinded her. So, I started planning. I took my time... but then she was pregnant. The child that should have been mine - _ours_ - and I knew I couldn't wait any longer." He was smiling in glee now, so caught up in his words that he was practically blind to everything about him, including the child he had claimed as his daughter. "It was so easy to bribe the doctors once I realized that Angela was still loyal to you. I had to make her see the truth, you know? Wanted to be the one to save her so that she'd realize it was me she loved and not _you_."

"What did you do?" Lee hissed.

"What I had to," Keller shouted. "But the doctor I'd paid off screwed it up and... and..."

"You killed her." Lee's voice was icy cold.

"No! I loved her. I would have taken care of everything, been everything she needed or wanted for the rest of her life. She'd never have to lift a finger again." Keller's face had flushed with the words. "You could never offer her that, could never give her what she really needed. You were _never_ worthy of her."

"That's not love," Lee stated somberly. "That's possession."

Possession. The word echoed hollowly in Xavier's mind for tiny piece of eternity. Possession. Wanting what he couldn't have and deciding to take it anyway, by any means. To chase away any and all others until the object of the... the obsession had no choice but to turn to him. To see with only a thick pair of blinders; _his_ needs, _his_ wants and to hell with anything or anyone else. Oh, for the love of ma'ii, was this what he had become? Was he nothing more than a slightly more sane version of Harrison Keller, who _loved_ (his perverted version of that emotion anyway) so much that he'd be willing to kill what he cared most for in order to never lose it? Would he... _could _he hold a gun up to Alyx's head and pull the trigger just to keep her from marrying Fawkes?

With what was surely a visible shudder, he _knew_ the answer was no. Knew that he could never take things that far. Knew, finally, that Shari had made the right choice. It was _her_ life after all, and not his. To control, to judge, or to possess. And neither was Alyx's. He looked down at the woman, her hand still curled about the throat of Angel, her fiancé a mere 10 feet away who was watching the scene before them play out like something from a bad B horror film. Her choice. Her life.

By admitting that to himself, an odd and before unnoticed tightness within his mind eased and he knew, no matter what happened after today, he would do what he could to make amends, to show her that he would support her in whatever decisions she would make for as long as she would allow him. It made him wish he'd listened to his Uncle Zach all those years ago when lectured about his folly with Shari. He had so much to make up for.

"God damn it, kid, stop it!" Hobbes' shout brought the world back into a sharp focus for Graywolf and he discovered that Alyx had used her powers to lift Keller about three feet into the air, struggling against the unseen web he now knew he was trapped within.

"Sil?" Xavier questioned, confused by the sudden situation change of the last few seconds. "You don't want to do this."

She rounded on him, her hold still on the girl who, for the most part, seemed unaware of what was going on about her. "What _I_ want is none of your goddamned business," she sneered. "I don't plan on getting my hands dirty with this... insect." Her words reflecting Gray's own thoughts of a spider with a fly. "It would be much more appropriate for his own men to kill him. Don't you think?"

The sound of guns being brought to bear was surprisingly loud, and the creak of triggers being squeezed, like fingernails being drawn slowly across a chalkboard.

It was Darien's overly calm voice that broke the stillness, Gray's own having been stolen away by the cold, calculating viciousness of hers. "So, Alyx, you plan on taking a vacation in Cabo after this?"

The words seemed to reverberate through the room for an incredibly long instant, and then Alyx slowly turned to look at Darien. "Cabo? What?" She violently shuddered, releasing Xavier from the hold he hadn't even known he'd been trapped within. She staggered back several steps, shaking her head violently, as if trying to toss something from her by force. Gray gently grabbed Angel and steered her over to where Fawkes and Hobbes stood with Lee and his friends. Lee didn't hesitate and wrapped an arm about the girl's shoulders as she returned to a confused awareness.

"What is happening?" Gray asked of Hobbes _sotto voce_.

"Trouble," Hobbes responded, a deep frown upon his features. He brought his gun up to bear on Alyx, and at that moment Gray did not have the will to stop him, somehow knowing that, whatever was happening, Hobbes had a much better grasp of the situation than himself.

"Alyx, let them go," Darien ordered, his voice harsh as he cautiously strode towards her.

"I... I... Would you just shut up?" she shouted suddenly, and it was obvious to Gray it was not aimed at any of them.

"Graywolf, call Cavanaugh and get someone over here ASAP. This could still blow up in our faces." Hobbes was wavering between Alyx and Keller's gunmen about the room. They, at least, still appeared to be caught up in whatever Alyx had done to them.

Gray did as requested; the conversation short, swift and with the assurance that the needed backup was on the way.

"I believe we can assist," Lee offered, and at Hobbes' nod, his friends quickly disarmed those that had taken them captive, Keller's handgun remaining untouched on the floor, and shifting the balance of power to their side of the scales.

Darien made it to Alyx, who was talking gibberish at herself, her body looking like it was being pulled in multiple directions at once, and set a hand on her shoulder. She froze in place, her eyes flashing that intense electric white light for an instant, then her legs folded and Darien held on, keeping her upright. "Darien?" The single word was laden with massive amounts of confusion to Graywolf's ears.

"Yeah, baby, it's me. Think you can put Keller down?" The request was said in a slightly amused-sounding tone of voice that Gray was certain was forced. Which made him wonder exactly when he'd become such an expert on Darien Fawkes in the last few days.

She didn't respond directly, but Keller was indeed lowered to the floor, only dropping the last foot or so, perhaps some remnant of that previous mood still wanting to inflict some measure of pain on the man. Keller simply lay there, his lungs heaving as he was able to finally take in a full breath, but it was obvious he'd been broken, that he remembered exactly what he'd said and knew the consequences of the truth, even just this small part of it, being revealed.

"Alyx..."

"Take me home," she pleaded, her head tipped down and body limp in his hold. Darien glanced back at where Gray and Hobbes stood, the elder agent's weapon lowering as the perceived threat fled.

Xavier said, "Go, we'll handle this."

Fawkes didn't even bother to respond. Just lifted her into his arms and carried her towards the front of the house and out of sight.

"What the hell just happened?" Graywolf asked once they had left the room, certain it was of the utmost importance, perhaps even more so than his personal revelation.

"The worst thing possible," Hobbes responded, as the sound of wailing sirens drew near. "She lost control."


	21. Chapter 21

21

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After about 15 minutes of driving, Darien realized he hadn't a clue where he was, at least not beyond somewhere in a suburb of DC proper. He wasn't even certain he could retrace the route back to the down-at-the-heels motel he and Hobbes had spent a better part of the afternoon and evening crashing at. It'd been just one step up from a place that catered to - _ahem_ - professional women, whose clients were almost exclusively named "John," and charged room rates by the hour. Darien suspected that the overweight and sweaty man who handed over the key had simply assumed that they were themselves there for no more than an afternoon tryst, but at the time he couldn't have cared less. He'd wanted no more than a handful of painkillers, to curl up on his side and pass out for a couple of hours. He was still sporting the bruises from their first encounter with Lee and Co. and he was certain the black and purple marks would never fade now that they were three and four deep in places on his torso.

But right now, that pain was a distant concern as he tried to find his way towards something, anything even vaguely familiar in this city of strangeness and duplicity. He gave it up as a bad job when he recognized a community building from this circle of suburbia hell he was apparently trapped in as he drove by it for a third time. With a hint of unavoidable fear, he reached out to where Alyx was huddled about herself in the passenger seat, as far away from him as she could possibly get within the confines of the vehicle, and set a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She shuddered for a long moment and then turned just enough so that he swung into range of her peripheral vision. "What?" It came out far more like the whimper of a wounded animal than a verbal response.

"'Fraid I'm lost, baby. Can you get me to the highway? Or at least somewhere other than," He caught the name of the town on a sign as he turned down what he hoped was a new street, "Foxhall." He chuckled, deciding that the name of the area filled with pretentious and most certainly overpriced homes wasn't too bad.

"Foxhall? Is that where we're at?" She seemed to be utterly confused, as if her memory had taken a sudden vacation.

"Yeah." Darien debated pulling over, but figured it was better to just keep moving because there was always the risk she'd lose the tenuous hold she had on her mind and just take off into the wilds. He mentally shook his head. Right, the wilds of Maryland, or wherever the hell they actually were. "If you can just get me to 95..."

"Gotta get to my apartment," she interrupted, and then twitched, her fist slamming into the passenger door.

"All right," Darien agreed, not about to question her choice. Whichever _her _she might be, right now. He'd figured out within seconds of her appearance at Keller's that something was wrong, drastically wrong. It hadn't taken much of a leap of logic to ascertain exactly what it was, especially since the worn spot in his head where Alyx lived had begun screaming in unhappiness the instant she had leveled her gaze upon him. Even Hobbes had picked up on it, but poor Graywolf hadn't had a clue and appeared to be acting as little more than another puppet dancing on the strings that Alyx had controlled. "Just tell me where to go and I'll get you there as quick as I can."

She laughed harshly. "Oh, yeah, I'll gladly tell you where to go'." She grabbed her head in her hands, fingers digging into the scalp as if trying to get to the cause of her distress. "Stop it. Stop it. Stop it!" Each repetition was markedly louder than the previous; the final one shouted and came damn near to deafening him in the close confines of the Hummer.

One of her hands snapped out to land atop his right, where it rested on the steering wheel, and he was suddenly inundated with information: maps, street names, short cuts, back roads, the best routes for any and every time of day. "Shit," he hissed between clenched teeth, doing his damnedest to keep the car on the road and mostly in his lane as pain stabbed like a laser beam through his eyes to impact the back of his skull. It eased after a few seconds and when it did, he knew exactly where he was and how to get to her apartment over near Langley. "Got it. Oh, and ow."

She jerked her hand away as if burned and sank back into herself. "Sorry," she said in a tiny voice.

"Hey, don't get upset. It was the quickest way to give me the info." He reached out to touch her only to have his hand stopped cold.

"Don't, please. You... you have no idea what's happening. What I want to do right now." She released him and he placed his hand back on the steering wheel, amazed it was still intact and suspecting it being unharmed had been a close call. "Gods, what I could _make_ you do with no effort at all."

He didn't allow her words to faze him, to allow the fear, which simmered beneath the surface to boil upwards where it could be felt, or to question her. Just the fact that she was fighting to hold on was a good sign, as it had been plain to him she'd been reveling in the megalomaniacal left turn she'd taken sometime in the last day or so. "Does it involve sex?" He asked in hopes of easing some of the tension he could feel thrumming through her body even from a couple of feet away.

She snorted softly, then growled; her knuckles turning white, fingernails surely leaving bloody marks on her palms as she fought to maintain her hold on her sense of self. "Eventually," she responded after a long silent moment, "but I doubt you'd enjoy it much."

That was enough to keep Darien silent for the remainder of the drive to her place.

.

Once inside the apartment, a hand pressed to her forehead as if in pain, Alyx made a beeline for her bedroom with Darien following along both out of curiosity and concern. For all he knew she was going to get her back-up gun and use it on herself, so he was prepared for anything, except, perhaps, to watch her attempt to open a locked drawer in her bureau. After a moment of struggle, where she tried to fit a tiny key in its matching lock, she gave up and with a wordless growl simply ripped the thing open with her mind. Her hands visibly shaking, she reached into the drawer, only to freeze, unable to move forward another millimeter.

Darien walked over to stand beside her and withdrew the hard case that sat within. "This what you need?"

She nodded and took it from him, her body momentarily under her control. She moved swiftly over to the bed, the case unfolding to reveal the contents within. If it were anyone else, Darien would suspect she were nothing more than a junkie jonesing for a long overdue fix, but he knew better and had a fair guess as to what lay within the two vials carefully packed inside. She withdrew the vial with the blue label and a syringe. She snapped the plastic cap off hurriedly and tried valiantly to insert one into the other. It was a vibrant battle of opposing wills, one, the hopefully dominant one, trying to force the syringe into the stopper and pull the contents into the glass tubing, the others causing hands to shake and inarticulate growls of rage and irritation to escape past clenched teeth. He wished to god he could help her, but knew the slightest shift, internally or externally, could cause the battle to be lost in an instant.

Alyx succeeded in her goal, the syringe half filled with a slightly golden substance. She sat on the bed and looked up at him, her eyes looking wild in the dim light of the room, the only outward sign of her continued struggle, as she had clearly secured control over her body. She rolled up her sleeve, not bothering with the rubber tourniquet that was in the case, and slid the needle into the prominent vein in her forearm.

"I'm going to have a very unpleasant reaction to this," she said, the words precise and clipped, as if afraid to relax her hold for even one instant. "Don't freak more than necessary, okay?" Her voice broke on the last word, her fear lacing the two short syllables.

"Okay," he agreed and watched as she depressed the plunger in one quick motion. She removed it as soon as the contents had been emptied into her system, carefully set the syringe aside, and lay back on the bed. He had no idea what was going to happen, so when she groaned, her neck arching back in what look like extreme pain, her request of don't freak' went flying out the window. He reached out to her just as her entire body decided to join the party, every muscle tensing, her back arching bow-tight and mouth opening in a silent scream.

"Shit." He quickly moved and shifted her until she lay with her head across his thighs, hoping to help, somehow. He was certain that the contents of the vial were some form of inhibitor, but he'd never before seen a reaction like this to it. Then again, he'd never seen her given a dose quite so large. "Damn it, Chele, what did you go an' do?"

For the second time that night, he experienced an unexpected bout of perfect timing as she went limp in his arms. "Had to, D," she slurred. "Had to increase the dose proportionally to the increase of my powers."

"Oh," he responded intelligently. "Duh." He brushed a stray hair off her forehead. "Do high doses always cause that kind of reaction?"

She slowly pushed herself upright, shaking her head as if to clear cobwebs from it. "Uh-huh." Then, much to his shock, she reached out for the case again, removed the second, red labeled vial and another syringe, this one markedly thinner than the first. He vaguely recalled her mentioning she got some of her supplies through an insulin distributor. All were designed for a single use and to be disposed of later. The case contained three of each type and he knew she refilled her supply as needed when she was home in Newport. She filled the syringe to the brim and handed it to him, her hands bobbing and weaving now, and he could only pray it was a normal reaction to such a high dose of inhibitor.

"I need you to give me that, now."

He eyed the needle warily as he took it, no longer willing to just do as she said since the voices echoing in her head had been shut down by force. "What is it?"

"Sedative. You do not want me awake for the drive."

"'Chele..."

"No, Darien, you have no choice. You know I burn through the inhibitor. There's no telling how long that dose will last." She paused, her head drooping for a moment. "Though I think I might have overdone it a bit. I'm more than a might fuzzy about the edges right now."

"Damn it, are you trying to kill yourself?" He knew, thanks to her previous adventure into heavy inhibitor use, that it could dull more than just her extra abilities, it could shut down _needed_ neural pathways, impairing even basic brain functions.

"Might be better if I did," she muttered. "Hell. I don't want to fight about this now. Would you please just trust me, even though I know I don't deserve it?"

Not trust her? When did he even hint that he no longer trusted her? "Baby, it's not that. If I try to walk out of here with you unconscious I'm gonna have security all over my ass." She groaned, clearly realizing he was correct on that score. "And... and if you're out cold with all that inhibitor in you something could go wrong. I need you awake, just in case."

She looked as if she were going to argue, but instead flopped back onto the covers, gazing up at him. "A half dose then. It's specially designed to interfere with my ability to focus my powers. I'll be loopy, but semi-conscious. You can give me the rest if I decide to try and take over the world again." She closed her eyes and dragged an arm over her face, hiding them from the light. "Please," she begged softly. "I don't want to hurt you and... and I can't promise I won't."

Darien didn't bother to answer with words, allowing actions to do so for him. He took the arm that hid her eyes from him, straightened it, and slid the thin needle sweetly into the muscle of her forearm. She didn't even flinch, her eyes coming open only half-way as she watched him from beneath her lashes. She moaned softly as the drug hit her system, like that aforementioned junkie finally getting what was craved, her body going from tense to pliable as he watched. When half the contents were gone, he withdrew the needle, recapped it, and set it back into its slot in the padded case. He was truly hoping he wouldn't need the remainder.

"Sweet thing, you okay?"

"No," she whimpered as tears escaped to roll down her cheeks. He lifted her to his chest and she wrapped her arms as tightly about him as she could manage. "I'm so sorry. So very sorry."

"Shush. We'll deal with it later," he soothed, but she simply kept repeating her apology over and over again until the tears wore themselves out.

He helped her get cleaned up, the contents of the case secured and then he wrapped an arm about her as she staggered back out to the Hummer. He got them back on the road less than an hour after they had arrived at her apartment. Once on the highway proper, Michele - he couldn't seem to think of her as _Alyx _at the moment - dozing in the passenger seat, he dug out his cell phone and dialed. After only three rings, there was an answer at the other end, though the hour was late for a call.

"Mike, we have a problem."

.

.

.

The snow was melting, water dripping off the trees even at this, to many people, godforsaken hour of the night. Once upon a time, this had been when he went to work. When he'd start his climb up the side of a building, or pick that tricky lock to gain entrance to the domicile he planned on relieving of it's precious possessions. But now... now it was simply 3 a.m. after an incredibly long day and a nerve-wracking drive with a woman who wasn't sure who she was from one moment to the next.

His skin still crawled from her last effort at trying to gain entry to his mind, but the drugs and his passable ability to block her had been enough to prevent her from doing anything of value. He hadn't been forced to give her more of the sedative, but suspected the inhibitor was nearing the end of its usefulness, even though Chele seemed to be huddled in upon herself and unaware of everything about her.

He didn't bother with the garage, just pulled the Hummer off to one side and silenced the engine. The interior began to cool immediately, but there was no movement from Chele, so he stepped out into the cold night air and walked about to her side. He opened the door, unbuckled her, and picked her up in his arms. He could _feel_ the struggle going on within her, her exhausting fight to keep all those other versions of herself from gaining control for even an instant. Even with the inhibitor dulling her powers, those other personas remained awake and vying for dominance of the body and mind. How the supposedly banished Phase III personas had made a comeback was beyond him, but it was obvious they were what were wreaking havoc with her.

He could only hope Mike would be able to help her, instead of creating yet more problems.

He carried her up the steps and across the wide porch, the door swinging open as he approached, Mike moving aside so that they could enter with ease. Darien stood there, debating whether to take Chele up to her room or down to the med-lab when Rose's voice broke the silence.

"Mom, you _are_ back." She turned to glare at her uncle who had moved up beside Darien. "I knew you were lying."

"Damn it, Rose. Go to bed," Mike snapped, surprising Darien with the harshness of the words. Normally the kids' far too gregarious for their own good natures were handled with heavy sighs and rolled eyes by their adult guardians. Mike must be even more worried than Darien was.

Michele shifted in Darien's hold to look at her daughter. "Well, well, Rose, being a bad girl are we? I'll have to come up with a suitable punishment."

Darien just about gagged at the thoughts and emotions that oozed off of Chele, and he was only catching the periphery of them, the full details would probably make him want to scrub his mind clean with hydrochloric acid. In a tightly controlled voice Darien admonished her, "'Chele, you will not _do_ that."

She stiffened in his arms, another battle of wills taking place, this one plainly far more difficult that those previous, but in the end she won. With a wail she hissed, "Get away from me," at Rose, who could only stare, dumbfounded at her mother. Chele turned away and buried her head against Darien's shoulder. "Gods, get her away from me. Now, damn it!"

Mike was there then. "Give her to me."

Darien didn't hesitate and handed Michele over to her twin, who swiftly carried her from the room. Where to, Darien didn't see, as he took two long steps forward and squatted down before Rose. "Honey, she didn't mean that," he tried to assure the plainly shaken child.

She shuddered, blinked, and swallowed with obvious difficulty. "_That_ was not mom," she stated.

Darien couldn't help but agree. The woman he knew would never allow thoughts such as those he'd brushed up against be more than idle speculation, things she'd worry that others might do with her children. For her to consider exploiting them that way for her own pleasure was something she was incapable of doing. "No it wasn't. And it's why Mike wanted you in bed and asleep when we arrived, you little minx." He hoped the spontaneous nicknaming would ease the horror he could still see etched on the girl's face.

"Minx? You're just trying to suck up to me," she grumbled, but the effort was rewarded as she relaxed, a tiny smile curving her lips upwards.

"Maybe? Is it working?" Darien winked and stood up, gesturing towards the kitchen. "Come on, a glass of warm milk and then back to bed for you."

"Milk?" Rose repeated, eyebrows shooting upwards in imitation of her mother. "Do I look five to you?"

"Nope." Darien wandered over to the refrigerator while Rose climbed up onto the counter to get down glasses from the cabinet. Instead of hopping back onto the floor, she sat on the edge, her feet kicking slowly, heels banging into the door below in a quick _thud-thud-pause_. He walked over to her, carrying a pitcher he knew to contain fruit juice and poured some into each of the glasses. "You all right?"

She shrugged. "I'm fine, it's mom I'm worried about. What happened?" She picked up one of the glasses and sipped from it.

Darien turned about and leaned against the counter next to her, one hand running through his hair. "Not a frickin' clue. I just know when we left here she was doing okay..."

"Other than being pissed off, you mean," Rose interrupted.

"Other than being pissed off," Darien agreed. "When she showed up in DC she was.... like that." He drained the liquid and pushed away to set the empty container in the sink. "She would never hurt you, you know that, right?" Crap, Michele would hate herself if the children became afraid of her. It was the stuff of nightmares - literally - for her.

"I know, but that didn't make the experience any less freaky." She slid off the counter and returned the pitcher to the fridge. "This happened before, right? When she was still working for the Agency?"

"This? No, nothing like this," Darien answered, his voice soft. And it was true enough; what had happened with the Phase III programming two years ago was nothing, a will o the wisp in comparison to the barely contained sun-god-like power within Chele now. Back then she'd been all jumbled, swapping from one persona to another randomly, or later dealing with the merged versions, but she'd regained control and continued on with her life, a little worse for wear. "I wish I knew what was going on."

"You and me both," Mike stated as he entered the room. "Five minutes, young lady, and then back to bed. You _will_ be attending school in the morning no matter what."

Rose snapped her uncle a crisp salute. "Sir, yes, sir." Then meekly, "Is she okay?"

"Asleep." Mike met Darien's eyes. "She was exhausted."

"Is it... safe to leave her alone?" Darien didn't want to worry Rose any more than necessary, but his previous experience with those other personas meant he knew exactly how sneaky and manipulative she could be.

Mike nodded. "I gave her a sedative and I'm keeping an eye on her, so to speak." He tapped the side of his head, to signal that he was mentally eavesdropping on her. "She's a mess."

"So I gathered," Darien said dryly. "Any clue as to why?"

Mike rubbed his eyes. "Maybe. I'm going to make a few calls." He sighed heavily. "Time to call in a few favors I'm owed."

"Let me know if you need any help breaking knees or the like." Darien managed a grin, one he was certain came across far more like a grimace of pain than anything that actually reflected happiness.

"I'll do that. Now if you'll excuse me..."

Darien nodded and Mike left the room, presumably for the office downstairs. Darien turned to Rose, "So piggyback ride and then a bedtime story? Goldilocks maybe?"

"Darien, you are so weird," Rose stated primly, but didn't hesitate to climb on Darien's back when he crouched down. "I've started _Stranger in a Strange Land,_ you can read a chapter of that. Provided you can handle something beyond the Cliff Notes version, that is."

Darien chuckled. "Wait, you mean I have to read the _big_ words? I don't know..."

Rose's laughter helped to ease the fear lying heavy on his soul as he carried her up the stairs.

.

.

.

It was hard to believe it had been only a few days since he'd last been here. The snow was gone, except for a few dirty patches that hid in the deeper shadows under the canopy of the evergreens. Instead, the ground was a muddy, mucky mess that _squished_ with every step. Of course, there was the fact that the temperature had soared to a comparatively balmy 50 degrees in the bright sunlight, which meant he didn't need to bundle up in a parka and mukluks to go outdoors. Spring had finally arrived to the frozen northeast. Yet, for all that, he felt chilled, and not just because of the occasional icy drop that fell from the branches above and unfailingly down the collar of the borrowed sweater he wore.

Darien stood at the end of the pathway, not quite ready to enter the tiny glade it opened out onto. Before him was the hammock that was strung between two trees that seemed to lean precariously out over the deep gray Atlantic. Seated in said hammock was his reason for muddying the shoes and dampening the socks he wore. Michele had her back to him; a blanket wrapped about her to ward off the hint of winter that remained in the air. She was slumped down, managing to look smaller than even Rose, while she tried to hide from the world. She'd been avoiding everyone in the house since Mike had made his diagnosis and dosed her on inhibitors to help her maintain control.

Darien had come out here in hopes of getting her to do something other than wander off to brood by herself.

"Go away, please," was the plaintive plea.

"Can't," he stated, guessing that she'd heard his approach. "I was kinda hoping you'd be willing to talk to me."

"What do you want me to say?" For an instant her head turned so that he could see her in profile, her face pale and eyes sad, then it was the back of her head, the fiery red locks doing little do brighten the mood. "It's better if you stay away from me. Even with the inhibitor... They're still there, at the edge of my mind, taunting, plotting, and planning, just not in control. And in the rare moments that there's quiet I have to fight off another panic attack 'cause I can't _feel_ anything."

Darien swallowed hard. He'd forgotten all about her panic attacks. No wonder she'd insisted on being sedated for the drive here, if she'd gone and freaked on the ride up it could have be disastrous. He walked forward, picking his steps carefully to avoid the worst of the puddles, until he stood directly behind her. "Let me help," he offered sincerely. "What went wrong? Mike said something about the Phase III personas, but it didn't make any sense. I thought they'd been... what's the word?"

"Integrated?" she supplied.

"Yeah, that's it. Integrated." He wanted to reach out and set a hand on her shoulder, to show that he was going to stand behind her no matter what, but sensed she wasn't ready for it.

She sighed heavily. "They were. Pressure from the programming breakdown and then the influx of power caused them to fragment back into their original forms." She tilted her head up, as if looking up to the cloudless sky above. "Did you know there are six dominant and a dozen minor personas stuffed in my head? Including one ruthless assassin?" She laughed bitterly. "Another one would put Mata Hari to shame in the seduction department."

Now was the time to show his support, and he set a hand on her shoulder. He was relieved when she tipped her head slightly to rub her cheek along his fingers. "How? I mean, I thought Heilburg's programming was screwed up?"

She nodded. "The original programming was, and that's what Claire had been told was used. Mike twisted some arms and got his hands on the _real_ files." She turned her head to meet his eyes. "It was a new version of the programming, more stable. My breakdown in Cabo was caused by a combination of the enhancer and Arnaud giving the persona's free rein. I ended up with an amalgam personality that was flakier than pie crust."

Darien chuckled at her oddly accurate metaphor. "Can't Mike just... erase the personas?"

"No. They're directly tied to facets of my base instincts, like self-preservation. He'd risk erasing parts of my basic emotions and personality to do so." She shuddered lightly, plainly not liking that option. "There wouldn't be much of _me_ left. Mikey is working on alternatives."

Darien curved his hand under her chin, his thumb rubbing along her jaw. "Why the hell would Heilburg bother doing that to you?" he mused aloud.

"D, he was ordered to do it," 'Chele informed him, making him freeze in place for a long second.

"What? The Official said it was done without his authority." That was what Darien remembered anyway.

"Yeah, that's what the Official _said_," she agreed. "The implanted personas are too precise and specifically designed to work _with_ the programming that allows me access to various levels of power." She shifted so that she could look up at him with ease. "Think about it, Darien. He'd not only get an agent with special abilities, but an expert in just about every aspect of the spook biz without having to invest in tedious and costly training. Just flip a mental switch or two and she's ready to go."

"Only something went wrong," Darien muttered.

"Only something went wrong and the power control failed... utterly, and I blew the place apart." Her look hardened. "The Official ended up paying for all that training anyway. That must have pissed off the cheap bastard to no end." The ironic tone was heavily overlaid with sarcasm.

"Christ," Darien growled, suddenly debating the merits of leaving the Agency then and there. "And I was starting to like the son of a bitch. Maybe..."

"No, you will not quit. You're needed out there, got me?" She was more than just a little adamant and he nodded in acquiescence. Though, he was definitely going to have a talk with Bobby about this revelation. "Darien, if you want to break off our engagement I will fully understand. In fact, I'd recommend it, considering everything..."

"Stop," Darien ordered, tipping his head down to rest atop of hers. "We will get through this together, like always."

"Darien, I don't want to hurt you and with my mind scrambled I might..."

He set a finger over her lips, silencing her. "I'll chance it, baby." She closed her eyes and he took that as temporary submission. "Hey, the tide's down."

"So?" she grumbled.

"Let's go for a walk," he urged, giving her a gentle push of encouragement, which she seemed to ignore. "C'mon, sitting here and brooding isn't doing any good, and it might help with the panic attacks."

She met his eyes; her look lacking any of the confidence he'd grown used to seeing there. "All right." He helped her climb out of the hammock and draped an arm about her shoulders. "I'm sorry, D."

"For what?" he asked, assuming it was nothing more than continued guilt over her behavior in DC.

"I... I tried to seduce Xavier. In London." She paused and turned about to face him. "Thought it would be fun to have both of you to play with." Her cheeks reddened, but it wasn't with embarrassment so much as anger at herself and fear of his reaction, he was sure.

"I know," he told her truthfully. At her look of dumbfounded surprise, he explained, "Xavier called and told me."

Her jaw dropped, literally, and it took a couple minutes before she could form a sentence. "And you still want to get married?"

"Babe, that wasn't y_ou_ any more than it was _me_ every time I hit full red." Darien expected her usual challenge to that statement and was surprised when she just nodded.

"How can you forgive me?" she asked, sounding confused.

"There is nothing to forgive, 'Chele." He cupped her cheeks and kissed her lightly. Then he took her hands into his and led the way to the short trail that led down to the beach.

.

.

.

Darien sat in the den nursing a late evening cup of coffee. He'd just seen the kids off to bed, though Dani would probably be at her computer for another hour; being the eldest did have its privileges, even in this family. Michele's mood had improved since yesterday, but she had still been reluctant to be around the kids; claimed her other selves would infallibly begin plotting some nefarious scheme involving them the moment they came within sight no matter how much inhibitor she was dosed with. Mike had mentioned she was burning through it at an astonishing rate, which meant she was attempting to use her abilities almost constantly. It was a testament to 'Chele's inner strength that she had not allowed anything worse than a sudden outburst ordering people away from her, when the voices in her head became too loud and insistent in _their_ wants.

"Hey, bub, you got a moment?" 'Chele asked as she poked her head around the corner.

"Sure, whatcha need?" Darien replied, sitting up straighter and setting the mug down on the table near his elbow.

She entered the room with Mike following behind saying, "_We_ need a favor."

Darien wasn't all that surprised to see Mike. 'Chele had made a point of being in the company of either her brother or himself all day, as a precaution. It was a vast improvement over her lonely self-flagellation. "Okay," he told them, as Mike took a seat on the oversized sectional. 'Chele, on the other hand, paced the length of the room, not able to settle down and relax.

"I need you to stay with the kids for me," she said, sounding nervous.

"All right," Darien answered without hesitation. "Where are you gonna be?"

"We," Mike corrected. "And I can't tell you."

"Won't," Michele added. "Safety reasons, D. I promise you the location is secure. If there's an emergency, the kids know how to contact us, but they won't tell you." She looked almost guilty at the admission.

Darien tried not let his suspicions run rampant and calmly asked, "What's up?"

"Mikey's got a possible solution to my problem, but we can't try it here since I need to be off the inhibitor. The cab... where we're going is remote and there's little risk to anyone else." She stopped her pacing, strode over to stand before him for a moment, then dropped to her knees to look up at him. "Mike's gonna try to set new programming to control my power level."

"Why not just turn the one you have back on?" Darien asked, not questioning their plan, but wanting to understand why.

"It would have the same problems it did before it was shut off," Mike explained. "She'd continue to spike, and now there's a fair chance that when she does one or more of the implanted personalities would respond."

Darien frowned; that was anything but good. "What about the inhibitor? Can't she just use that to reduce her power level?"

"Yes," she answered, "but I would eventually build up a tolerance to it. It _is_ our back-up plan if the new programming doesn't work. It'll buy us some time to find another solution."

Having dealt with his own immunity to the counteragent, Darien could fully understand why they'd want to keep that option in reserve. "So, how would new programming work? You just gonna use Heilburg's technique and start over, or what?" He wasn't thrilled with the idea of her having to undergo more hypnotic mind control, but it seemed to be the only viable option at this point.

'Chele glanced over at her brother, some wordless communication flowing between them, before she sorted out the best way to answer. "Heilburg's Phase I probably wouldn't be very effective. My ability to adapt would break it down within a short span of time, forcing a repeat of the existing situation. No, we're gonna try something completely different." She turned to her twin for what appeared to be support, but he only shrugged in response, making Darien wonder what was going on between the two of them. "This goes no further than us, okay?"

"Of course," Darien assured her, assured _them,_ as Mike seemed to be the more reluctant of the pair to speak about... whatever it was.

Michele nodded. "Mike's more than just an empath. He can... I've nicked it _imprinting_. He uses it all the time when undercover. He can literally _make _anyone believe he is the person he's pretending to be. The effect can, and has, lasted for years with some of his contacts." She gave Darien a small smile. "He's going to use his talent to lay a new set of limits for my abilities."

"New? Why not just copy the original ones?" Darien asked in curiosity. The fact that Mike had a few extra talents that tied into his known ones was not anywhere near as big a shock as it might have been for most people. Given how powerful Michele was, Darien just always assumed Mike rivaled her in some manner; they were twins after all.

"The original ones have... worn a groove in her mind, so to speak. One that she's adapted to. If I were to duplicate it, she would quickly find ways around it, resulting in the same problems she's exhibiting now. However, a new set, totally different from the original should not fall apart." Mike leaned back in the seat and rubbed his forehead. "Besides, I think she would prefer something other than screaming headaches every time she pushed things a bit too far. There will still be physical warnings, but not as debilitating as before."

"Oh please," Michele grouched, "they seemed to relish using negative reinforcement at that lab." She shifted to sit with her back against Darien's legs. "Mike's also going to try and find the right balance of power to limits so that I have more'n enough to use, but won't trigger the bonus versions of me."

"I will also attempt to dull the implants, but I can't guarantee success." Mike sighed, looking tired, deservedly so after the last few days.

"How long will this take?" Darien set a hand on 'Chele's shoulder.

"A week, 10 days, maybe. If we haven't had any worthwhile results by then, we go to plan B," Mike responded.

"So you need me to watch the kids that long?" Darien had no problems with that, but was concerned the Official might start getting antsy long before then.

"No, only two. Xavier should be arriving with several agents that the kids have dealt with before, and that we trust, to watch them," Mike told Darien. "The two of you will then return to DC to finish up with the Keller/Lee case. Cavanaugh has already been apprised of the situation with _Alyx_ and has approved the medical leave."

"Damn, you're quick." Darien managed a smile and Michele leaned a cheek against his thigh. "When do you leave?"

"First thing," 'Chele said. "I already spoke to...to..." She paused, as if fighting with herself. "Shit," she muttered, clearly struggling for control.

"The kids know." Darien's statement seemed to ease the conflict within her.

"Yes," Mike confirmed. "You're taking this much better than I expected."

Darien shrugged. "Will it help if I whine or bitch about being left in the dark on 90 percent of this?"

'Chele surprised him with a dry chuckle. "Not a bit, I'm afraid." She sighed. "Believe it or not, there are still quite a few things you don't know about me, or this family."

"Will I get a chance to?" Darien asked her.

She turned about, her chin on his knee. "Gods, I hope so."


	22. Chapter 22

22

Music: _Everybody_ by Sister Hazel and _Feels Like Home_ by Chantal Kreviazuk

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_Way back in '93, I learned something from a little show called **Northern Exposure.** "A person has three choices in life. You can swim against the tide and get exhausted, or you can tread water and let the tide sweep you away, or you can swim with the tide, and let it take you where it wants you to go."_

_I was about to find out how well I could do the backstroke._

_.  
_

It was quiet, almost too quiet, but not with the oppressiveness that foretells great trouble in the near future. No, this was a blanket of peace and tranquility, like that which you would expect in serene glade hidden deep within a forest. The locale, however, was most certainly not woodsy in any way, shape or form. It was, instead, an office, one that doubled as a conference room, with a view of the charming parking lot several stories below. The glass wall that overlooked the main floor, where people buzzed about busily, also allowed the subdued hum of their voices to come through. It was pleasant, like the ever present sounds of life from insects or the woodland creatures in that aforementioned glade.

What a difference a few weeks can make.

Alyx stretched lazily, not caring if anyone saw her. _She_ was done for the day... hell, the week, and she was looking forward to time off with her children and, even better, a couple days with Darien, who would be flying in on Sunday to spend part of the Memorial Day weekend with them. How he wangled the time off from the Official, she didn't dare guess. She was simply happy he'd been able to get away so soon after wrapping up his part in the Keller affair.

Okay, so in truth the Keller affair might not be completely dealt with for years, but Harrison himself was in custody, along with a dozen others, and the tangled threads that had been discovered were just beginning to be probed at, in hopes of pulling all the knots out without snapping any of them before the end was reached. It had been the events in early April that had led to her having this spiffy new office, as well as the one next door the other members of her team, Mirage, shared. A team that had been increased by a factor of one in recent weeks.

Cavanaugh had been able to use the Keller situation to her advantage and had Agent Corvan - Mikey - transferred to her division. Mirage had been assigned the laborious task of discovering exactly how deep the corruption ran; how many agencies, government or otherwise, had been tainted by the backroom maneuvers Keller and his ilk had been making over the last 15 years, which was, oddly enough, an eerie reflection of the original Mirage's grand purpose. Cavanaugh had confided to Alyx that she hoped it wasn't yet too late.

Mike and Alyx's trip had been successful, as a new set of control programming was firmly in place and likely to hold for the foreseeable future. She would still have to deal with warning signs if she pushed the envelope too far, but nothing like the debilitating headaches of before. And recovery would be a comparably simple matter of rest and relaxation for a time; no more drugs, no more enforced unconsciousness, and no more fear of what would happen to her body when there was no choice but to reach beyond her normal endurance. Mike had even had some success at suppressing the implanted personas, though, at this point, there was no way to erase them without doing major damage to her mind and _real_ personality.

They'd gone back to Newport so that Alyx could repair the damage she feared she had done with her children, only to find everything fine. The minor wounds she had inflicted had scabbed over, and nearly healed. In fact, they now seemed to understand her better, Rose especially. Understood that there was indeed a downside to their abilities, a potentially dangerous downside; and, while Alyx in no way wanted them to be afraid of what they were, she had also been desperately trying to convince them that it wasn't all fun and games. That what they did, what they _were,_ was completely out of the realm of the known. Like the maps of early sailors, they were off the edge of known territory: _here there be monsters._

The real trick was to not become one.

Mike had made it clear to Alyx's superiors that she could not continue to be used carelessly, something Cavanaugh had been arguing for months, but this time, with Alyx's breakdown as proof, the words finally sank in. No longer would she be working on piddly-shit missions that could be handled by any competent agent. The reassignment to the Keller aftermath was inevitable and something Cavanaugh had demanded. The work would not be any easier, that was for sure, but the focus was something specific, instead of random assignments handed down by a dozen or more divisions and proclaimed as the utmost importance even though most weren't.

Mike and Alyx still swapped working weeks, splitting their time between Newport and DC, but with his addition to Mirage, the flow of power never waned. Although their talents differed, Mike was eminently experienced and an acceptable replacement for Alyx as leader of the team. They both partnered Xavier, now. Something Mike had never experienced before, as he had worked almost exclusively solo for the majority of his career, his inherent talents lessening the need for a partner or handler, especially when deep undercover. The new arrangement, so far, was working astonishingly well. Part of that was most certainly due to Xavier's sudden change of heart.

At first Alyx had feared it was her doing, that while under the influence of those other personas she had expended the effort to alter Graywolf's mind, his perceptions where they related to her. But when she broached the subject with him, fear causing her voice to be faint, he had assured her that it didn't matter whether she had had a hand in it or not. The change was to everyone's benefit and he was far happier for it. He had confided that he did not want to ever become like Keller, and that it had been too close by far. He then asked - _asked_ - for the chance to remain her partner and she, trembling in relief, had accepted, a weight upon her heart lifting, for she wasn't sure if she could continue doing this job without him by her side. She and Xavier, in their own way, were as made for each other as much as she and Darien were.

Just then Cavanaugh walked by with Tomas Giovanni by her side. Tomas had been called back to duty even after all these years because, much as he had told Alyx and Xavier, he had kept an eye on things and had information vital to the investigation. He wouldn't be working in the field, but behind the scenes, helping them untangle the web of lies and deceit to find the one who was ultimately pulling the strings. William Lee had also returned, working with Cavanaugh and Alyx, telling them everything he could about the last 15 years. He, as much as anyone, wanted answers as to what had been going on all these years. Information that was not forthcoming from the Chinese. The trade representatives that Keller had been meeting had made a beeline for their embassy in DC and holed up there until transport could be arranged for them out of the country. Any and all requests for a conference went, politely, ignored.

Lee wasn't the only person to have remained in the US. All three of his compatriots, family members, albeit distant ones, had been granted asylum until other, more permanent, arrangements could be made. A good thing too, as Xavier had gone and fallen head over heels in love with Lee's cousin. Liangyi Song was a beauty indeed and about the same age as Graywolf. She spoke very little English, though she understood more and Gray spoke no Chinese whatsoever, but it didn't seem to matter. Apparently, the first time his green eyes had laid upon her jade ones he had fallen into that pleasant abyss and never even tried to climb back out.

Alyx more than approved, as Liangyi was an intelligent, beautiful woman who was more than a match for Xavier. It was a damn good thing that the slender lady, which she was in every sense of the word, had fallen for Alyx's partner just as hard for she would have hated to see Gray's heart broken. The courting was moving along with careful deliberation and he spent most of the time with his head in the clouds, which she found amusing, but she didn't tease him about, though the temptation was there. He was happy and that was worth more than gold to her.

Speaking of being happy, she had her own happiness to consider. With a last glance about the room, she stood, collected her jacket, and left the office.

.

.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty."

The far too conscious and cheery words were accompanied by the dreaded sound of curtains being drawn back to allow the bright early morning sunlight to not only spill into the room, but across the bed where Darien lay. He groaned, rolled over and dragged one of the pillows protectively over his head. This also had the effect of muffling the sound in the room, leading him to believe that his dratted partner had abandoned the attempt to wake him and gone away.

Seconds later that false sense of security was ripped away, along with the covers, exposing his boxer clad body to the comparatively cool air of the room. "Up and at 'em, Fawkesy. Don't want to keep the kid waiting, now do ya?"

Darien, without opening his eyes, flung the other pillow in the direction of the voice and was rewarded with a solid _thwap_ and a grunt as the cotton covered down-filled grenade landed right on target, causing Darien to grin in pleasure. "I wanted to go to her place last night, but noooooooo. You said we had to stay here and then proceeded to ply me with liquor and trick me into this bed so's you could have your way with me." As he spoke he squirmed his toes about until he hooked the covers and dragged them back up over his head, fully intending to go back to sleep for another couple of hours.

"Well, it _is_ traditional for the couple to sleep apart the night before their wedding."

Darien was suddenly wide-awake and it wasn't due to the softly spoken words, which he hadn't really heard, but the voice. A very familiar voice, whose owner should have been across the country saving lost souls, and not standing in this hotel room that overlooked the Atlantic. He lowered the blankets, just enough to allow his eyes to peek over the edge of them, to see Father Tom standing there, wearing a serious look that was completely fake based on the laughter that could be seen in those bright blue eyes of his. Hobbes, on the other hand, wasn't bothering to hide the laughter and made sure to snap a picture of Darien's discomfiture with the recently acquired digital camera that had been brought along for the weekend.

To make matters worse, behind Tom stood the imposing figure of Xavier Graywolf, who dwarfed the slim body of Chris, both of whom were sporting knowing grins. Darien's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What's going on here?"

"A wedding. Or did you miss that part?" Hobbes stepped over to the bathroom door and swung it open to reveal a garment bag that Darien didn't recognize. The bright ripping sound of the zipper being slid downwards showed what lay within, but it didn't really clear up anything for Darien.

"What in god's name is that?" He was seriously beginning to wonder if he was actually awake or if it was just some weird dream.

"A tuxedo," Graywolf rumbled in response. "Much like the ones we're wearing." It wasn't until then that Darien noticed that all of them were indeed putting on the Ritz, right down to the top hats and tails. Though, where in world they'd found a penguin suit for Xavier was a mystery greater than the destruction of Atlantis.

Darien pushed himself upright, scratching the back of his head. "Who's getting married?"

Hobbes glanced over at Tom and snorted. "Must be the jet-lag." He focused back on Darien. "You, my friend. We've been planning this for weeks."

Darien shook his head, still not quite getting it. "I'm not getting married," he stated in all certainty. "Hell, me an' 'Chele haven't even talked about setting a date yet. Been too damn busy."

"Exactly," Chris said, "so we decided to take care of it for you."

"You decided to... Wait. You're telling me you're throwing me a surprise wedding?" Darien had gone way past confused to utter astonishment. "Why in the name of all that is holy would you do that?" Tom cleared his throat and Darien glanced sheepishly in his direction. "Sorry."

Chris looked to Hobbes for support. "Give us a minute," he said to the pair. Chris swallowed hard and, with a stricken look, fled from the room with Xavier. "You changed your mind? About marrying the kid?" Hobbes apparently needed to make sure they were on the same page in this discussion before explaining what the devil was going on.

"N...n...no. Whatever gave you that idea?" Darien had the odd feeling he'd missed something, something of great import. Add to that the look on Chris' face and... and Darien wasn't sure which way to turn. "I just wasn't expecting to get married _today,_ is all." He turned to Father Tom. "How'd you get mixed up in this mess?"

Tom shrugged and sat down on the end of the bed. "Simplicity. They asked me." He, unlike everyone else, wasn't wearing a tuxedo, just the usual black suit and collar of his profession. "I don't want to know what strings they pulled to arrange this, but I do know they did this because they care and _not_ to trap you. They want you as part of their family very much, from what I gather."

Darien allowed a slow smile to cross his face at the words. He just hadn't realized the kids cared _that_ much about him. "So how's this gonna work?"

"I'm going to be performing the ceremony, but there will be a Justice of the Peace present to make it all legal," Tom explained. "You don't have to go through with this. I believe your young lady would be more than understanding should you choose to wait."

Darien shook his head. It was strange that he didn't feel as if he was being backed into a corner and forced to make a choice that really wasn't one. Like the non-choice that had left him gifted with a slightly used Quicksilver gland and lacking his brother. "How much time do I have?" he asked, to which Hobbes gave a whoop.

"More'n enough time for you pretty yourself up there, Penelope." Hobbes was grinning from ear to ear and Darien couldn't help but do so as well. "I'll go let the kid... Chris know everything is set. Least at this end."

"Hold up there, pardner." Darien's voice stopped Hobbes with his hand on the room's doorknob. "Are you saying 'Chele don't know about this?"

Hobbes chuckled and glanced at his watch. "She's finding out right about now."

"Oh crap," Darien mumbled, which earned a real laugh as Hobbes made his escape, leaving Darien alone with Tom. "This is nuts."

"Perhaps," Tom agreed, "but I imagine you will find it a relief to have it over with."

Darien frowned slightly. "No, not a relief. I'm not sure what this gets us, beyond making life way more complex than it already is." He grabbed one of the remaining pillows and hugged it to his chest. "Wish I could've told Charlie off and bailed, but..."

Tom nodded in understanding. "Have you had more of _those _dreams?"

'Those dreams' were ones inspired by the weird mind-meld of the pineal and Quicksilver glands. Darien had been more than ready to tell the Official, 'I quit' even though Michele had insisted that he needed to stay with the Agency. That is until he'd had a series of Quicksilver dreams revolving around another of Chrysalis' plots. One that had driven him to talk to Father Tom about, it was so disturbing. In the end, the situation had played out almost exactly as his dreams had shown, but the end resolution had been markedly different. He wasn't sure what that meant. Always before when his Quicksilver dreams had shown him things, they'd been hints, warnings. Like seeing Arnaud or his Grandmother, Madeline, during those hours of sleep shortly before encountering them again in person. Or like the first time, when he'd seen that sleazy motel and tried to kill Hobbes after the offer of 'hot doughnuts.' But he'd never really been able to _see_ anything of use; that had always been Michele's curse. Maybe... maybe their relationship, her mental influence on him was changing his own borderline prophetic dreams.

That's what Tom had suggested, anyway. Though coming to that conclusion had required a _very_ long discussion and Darien revealing details about his fiancée that he would normally tell no one outside the few people at the Agency who already knew about her. Tom could be trusted, however, and not just because of sanctity of the confessional - something that ever-cynical Darien did not necessarily believe in these days. No, it was due to the fact Kevin had trusted their old parish priest with his concerns over the I-Man project and using his brother - Darien - as a guinea pig to further those experiments.

"Nah. I just..." Darien sighed and scrubbed his hands across his face and then through his hair, making it stand up wildly. "I wish she wasn't right sometimes, is all."

"Right about what?" Tom asked, his curiosity balanced by what was obviously an honest concern for his former wayward pupil.

"That I'm needed out there. I want to be here, with her and the kids, but I can't be. Not yet." Damn if he didn't want that more than anything. Even more than getting the gland out of his skull. He could live with being the invisible man the rest of his life so long as he had 'Chele and her family by his side for the duration. Oh, and Bobby and Claire too. Life wouldn't be the same without them around, but... but he couldn't figure out how to pull that off.

Tom nodded and got to his feet. "Good."

"Good? We get married and still have to be apart. How is that 'good'?" Darien questioned, though whether it was directed at Tom or the god he represented was seriously open to debate.

Tom just smiled. "_That_ is something only the two of you can figure out. What's 'good' is that you've taken some responsibility in your life. Now, we are on a bit of schedule here so..." He waved at the tux still awaiting Darien's pleasure.

"So, I take it one step at a time," Darien muttered.

"A journey of a thousand steps begins with just one," Tom reminded him as he opened the door. "The hard part is taking it."

Darien waited for the door to shut before throwing off the covers and practically bouncing from the bed. "Nah, this one's easy."

.

With a squeal of glee, the body impacted the bed and the person drowsing peacefully upon it. Peace that, while not shattered, was most certainly disturbed. "Time to get up. Things to be, people to do and all that."

Michele cracked open one eye and glared balefully at the redheaded source of boundless energy that was crowing far more annoyingly than any cock at the dawn. In fact, the last time they'd owned a rooster it had lasted less than six months, though it had made a rather tasty dinner. "Go 'way. I want to sleep in for a change."

Rose snorted. "Right, like you ever really sleep. You've been awake for _hours_." She sighed overdramatically then moved the bouncing to mere inches below 'Chele's solar plexus.

"Nnnnngggg," was the incoherent response as air was forced unwillingly from the lungs. 'Chele used the only weapon at her disposal - fingers - and began to ruthlessly tickle the child who erupted in irrepressible laughter. After several minutes, the advantage going to Michele due to her long experience in getting others to surrender to her will, she giggled, "Do ye cry uncle?"

"Can't," Rose snorted. "He's out."

Michele laughed softly, her hands stilling so that the child could speak without having to fight for air. "Truce?"

"Aye, truce," Rose agreed, panting. "You cheat."

"No, she exploits her enemies' weaknesses," Dani said from the doorway. "You were supposed to wake her, not wrestle her."

Rose huffed in indignation. "She's awake ain't she?"

'Chele grinned. "Can't argue with that, Dani. What's up?" She settled back against the headboard, quite awake now and feeling relaxed and happy. A change she was slowly getting used to.

"_You_ have a wedding to attend," Dani stated, a smirk lifting the right corner of her upper lip. Another gift she had inherited from her father.

'Chele mentally ran through her schedule and came up a blank for _anything_ of great importance during the weekend, much less a wedding. Oh, Darien was due to arrive in a couple of hours, which was anything but unimportant, but that was it. Her plans with Darien involved vast quantities of snuggling and as much time as she could beg, borrow, or steal in this very bed. Not that she was going to shut out her kids, as they enjoyed spending time with the ex-thief as much as she did, but this would be the first occasion since early April that they'd had any time _alon_e. She frowned slightly. "No I don't."

"Well, then we spent all that time decorating for nothing," Manda mock-complained as she entered the room carrying about an acre of white silk.

"What is _that_?" Michele had a sinking feeling that she knew exactly what it was, as well as a sudden insight as to why her children had seemed to develop a fascination with baseball the last few weeks. They'd been planning this - she wasn't ready to really focus on what _this_ was and so let it slide by without close examination for now - and had clearly learned a trick to block her unintentional eavesdropping on their thoughts. Even a mental overhaul couldn't change her basic abilities or areas where she had spill over. She narrowed her eyes, focusing on each of the children present one at a time. "What have you done?"

"Surprise. You're getting married today." Rose hopped off the bed and skipped across the room to help Manda drape the gown over the settee.

"Oh no. No. No. No. No." Michele shook her head vehemently. "I may not be able to have a fancy wedding like I want, but it takes more than a couple weeks to plan a shindig like this."

"We've got it covered," Dani insisted, confidence oozing from her now that thoughts of springtime sports weren't blocking the pathway.

"But there's so much to do. Cake..."

"Done," from Rose.

"Flowers?"

"Your favs," from Manda.

"Blood tests and all that paperwork?" They couldn't have pulled that off, could they?

Manda grinned. "We had some help with those, but, yes, all the minutiae have been dealt with."

"Justice of the Peace?"

"Yep, to make it official. Father Tom will perform the actual ceremony," Dani explained succinctly.

'Chele brightened, knowing how Darien felt about the priest in question. "Tom? How... Never mind. I don't want to know." Then, as if it were her last hope before admitting defeat, "Witnesses?"

"Bobby and Xavier," Rose answered solemnly.

"Xavier?" Michele couldn't have been more surprised if her daughter had said she'd been to the moon and confirmed it was indeed made out of green cheese. It did convince her that they would have an answer to everything and anything she could possibly ask, but she wasn't quite ready to throw in the towel. "All right, who was in on this?"

The children glanced at one another, plainly arguing over who was going to spill the beans. In the end, it was Dani who apparently lost the mental game of rock, paper scissors, though how they managed to play it three ways, 'Chele had no idea. "All of us, Uncle Mike, Bobby and Xavier."

"He got the rings," Rose added, "and helped with the tuxes and stuff."

'Chele shook her head, dumbfounded, at the audacity of her children. "What if I don't want to get married? Today, that is." Since she most certainly wanted to get married, she didn't want them to get the impression she had changed her mind or that she and Darien were having problems.

"Why do you want to wait?" Dani asked in all seriousness. "C'mon, mom, we _know_ you. Both of you." She strode to the window that overlooked the backyard and gazed out it. "You will just keep finding reasons to _not_ get married. Valid ones, admittedly. Work, schedule conflicts, excessive risk, whatever."

"We talked it over while you were off at _Sàbhailte Cala _and decided to make sure you got it done," Manda told her.

"_We_ didn't want to wait. We want Darien to become a part of this family. He _needs_ us, mom." Rose's voice was earnest, that _knowing_ she had inherited from her mother making itself apparent yet again.

"I know he does," Michele agreed, her voice soft, "but what if he's not ready to do this?" She knew a commitment of this sort was not something that came naturally to Darien. He'd spent most of his life doing his damnedest to _avoid_ anything even vaguely resembling responsibility, and she wanted no part of forcing him into marriage until he was ready.

Dani's focus turned inwards for a long moment, then she smiled. "He was surprised, but is getting dressed, with much grumbling about the monkey suit, as we speak." She blinked back into focus. "So, any other arguments?"

Michele got out of bed and joined her eldest by the window. The arbor off to the right of the yard was decorated with white flowers and paper wedding bells, making it clear the small glade with the waterfall was where the ceremony was going to take place. She allowed a small smile to tickle the corners of her lips upwards. "Not a one."

"Yay!" Rose cheered, then, "Crap, that means I gotta wear that dress."

"Only until after the ceremony," Manda reminded her.

"_And_ we get some pictures," Dani warned, clearly not about to let this occasion go by without a full video accounting.

Rose stuck out her tongue. "Oh, all right, but don't push your luck."

'Chele chuckled. "I'm certain Darien will find you adorable beyond belief." Rose blushed bright red, just as expected.

"Mom," she grouched as Manda and Dani laughed.

"We'll get out of your way for a bit. Let me know when you're ready to put that on," Dani waved at the dress, "'cause you will need help."

Michele nodded and they turned to leave the room. "Hey," she called out.

"Yeah?" Rose asked for all of them.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," they said in unison, and then left Michele alone with the wedding gown on what was turning out to be one of the most significant days of her life.

"Memorial Day, indeed."


	23. Chapter 23

23

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.

Bobby smacked Darien on the arm. "Stop fidgeting, would ya?"

"No," Darien stated, earning a chuckle from Tom, who seemed to expect the reversion to a 10-year old from Darien. He was... nervous wasn't the right word, wasn't even close to describing how he was currently feeling. Oh, no, he felt like he used to right before a big heist. All that anticipatory excitement, the heart pounding just enough to heighten his senses, his mind working at triple speed as he became exceedingly aware of everything about him. And since he couldn't go anywhere right now he... fidgeted. Adjusted the jacket, tugged at his collar, scuffed his toes in the grass, impatient to get on with the main event.

"It shouldn't be much longer," Xavier said from where he stood as the Man of Honor. It had been the kids' idea and he seemed more than a touch uncomfortable with it as it was most certainly outside the normal realm of traditional.'

Those self-same kids had requested that telepathic contact not happen until after Michele had made her grand entrance, though, at this rate, is was going to be a sunset wedding instead of an early afternoon one. So Darien couldn't even check in with Chele to find out what the delay was.

He glanced over at Mr. Hamilton, who had the unlucky task of standing amongst the children and, once it was all over, witnessing the two of them sign the papers that would make this marriage legal, at least in the eyes of the government and the IRS. _He_ wasn't stuck looking like an overdressed penguin at a garden party, though the suit was plainly expensive. Whatever he did beside the JoP gig must pay pretty damn well.

Just then Rose came running full tilt through the arbor, the dress she wore hiked up high enough to show her knees and the fact she was barefoot. "Sorry, guys, had to deal with a surprise phone call from the boss-lady. Everything is ready to roll now."

A rumble could be heard coming out of the speakers that had been hidden behind some of the decorations, which made him wonder if the stereo had decided to up and die at just the wrong moment. It certainly wasn't what he expected, which was the traditional Wedding March from Lohengrin, by Wagner. No, it sounded like 30 Harley's revving their motors.

Amanda made her way down the aisle in a far more stately manner than Rose had, followed by Chris who wore the tux and top hat as if he'd been born to them. Darien's own hat was still at the hotel and had never made it anywhere near his hair, although neither Bobby nor Tom had been very surprised at that.

Just as the piano began accompanying the rumble Dani appeared, but instead of passing through the archway, she froze, a deadly glare aimed at Rose. "I am so gonna kill you after this," she snarled.

Rose showed her absolute terror by flouncing her skirt and sticking out her tongue. "This song's more appropriate."

Peals of laughter, Chele's laughter, followed that pronouncement, and it was then that Darien recognized the song for himself. _I Would do Anything for Love_, by Meatloaf and Darien really couldn't argue with Rose's choice. It was, oddly enough, a fitting song for this event.

"Mother," Dani cried in exasperation, and then heaved a long-suffering sigh and strolled forward to take her place beside her siblings.

Darien was about to console the young woman when the last members of the processional appeared and he forgot how to breathe. Michele was a vision in white, her face and hair hidden by the veil, which he found irritating, as he wanted to be able to _see_ her and the smile that was surely lighting up her eyes. Beside her was Michael, decked out in the full top hat and tails, complete with cane, who had the onerous task of giving the bride away. With their father dead and the older brothers still in the dark about the engagement, much less the actual wedding, it was the only choice that made sense.

Mike was sporting an ear to ear grin, which probably meant he and his twin were having a lively conversation, most likely on how to keep Dani from acting upon her threat once the ceremony was complete. Darien could only wonder what the next surprise was going to be. He watched them, approaching as if in slow motion, the lack of air making everything seem preternaturally surreal. He closed his eyes for what he thought was an instant, a mere reflexive blink and she was suddenly there by his side.

One of her hands shifted just enough to brush up against his and she went and broke the "no contact" rule. _Hey, bub, how ya doing?_

He snorted and earned a curious look from Father Tom. _Much better now that you're here,_ he informed her.

"Shall we?" Tom asked, with humor tingeing his words.

"Sooner the better," Hobbes grumbled, "they might forget the rest a'us are here."

"They already have," Xavier argued and Darien couldn't find fault with the statement. The world could fall apart around them right now and he seriously doubted he'd notice... or care.

"Boys," Chele admonished. "Behave or no cake." That earned chuckles from everyone. She then turned to face the priest standing before them. "Father, if you would..."

Tom spread his hands wide. "Welcome everyone. We are here today to unite Michele and Darien in marriage. The union into which you are about to enter is the closest and tenderest into which human beings can come. It is a union founded upon mutual respect and affection. Your paths will be parallel, your responsibilities will increase, but your joy will be multiplied if you are sincere and earnest with one another.

"Darien, if it is your desire to become the husband of Michele, then repeat after me.

"I, Darien, take you, Michele, to be my husband. In this moment, I promise before these witnesses to love you and care for you all of our days. I accept you with your faults and your strengths, even as I offer myself with my faults and strengths. I promise to support you when you need support and to turn to you when I need support. I choose you as the one with whom I will spend my life."

Darien did so, the words coming out clear and confident and lacking any obvious hesitation or nervousness, but the entire time he wanted nothing more than to rip off the veil and look into her eyes so he could see her reaction. He could _feel_ it, their fingers still lightly together, but it wasn't the same. As soon as he completed the words, Tom turned to Michele and Darien decided he didn't want to wait until the correct moment and tossed the veil up and out of the way, much to Dani's dismay as she began to grumble imprecations under her breath.

Chele simply raised her hand and rested the back of it against his cheek as she said her vows, without Tom first reciting them. A long silence followed as Darien and Michele's gazes remained locked, no words, no thoughts, just tightly reined in emotions flowing from her to him and practically overwhelming him with their intensity.

It was Bobby who broke the moment, and in a perfectly Hobbesian manner. "Jeeze, guys, you can get a room later."

Chele blushed and lowered her hand, which Darien captured and clasped tightly in his own, not wanting to lose contact with her ever again. "Better wear earplugs, Hobbesy," was Darien's quick comeback, which eased the lingering tension and allowed the ceremony to get back on track smoothly.

"Do you have the rings?" Tom asked formally.

From within the depths of Xavier's jacket a box appeared, which Tom took and opened. Darien and Chele each reached for the appropriate ring and examined them, as this was the first time either of them had seen the bands they'd be wearing.

"It's lovely," Chele said, smiling up at her partner.

Darien rotated his, noting the main image inscribed on the ring was a serpent of some sort. Never one to turn down a chance to quote he said, "Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?"

The kids snickered, plainly recognizing the source, but either Xavier didn't or more likely simply wanted to explain the choice. "It's actually an _avanyu_. A feathered serpent that represents change. It's a traditional Navajo wedding symbol."

Michele rested a hand on his forearm. "It's perfect." Darien nodded in agreement. He would have make sure to personally thank the man later.

"I believe Xavier had something he wanted to read as well." Tom stepped aside and gave Xavier center stage for a moment. He actually looked nervous.

"This is another tradition of Navajo weddings." He cleared his throat and then began in a soft voice in pure Navajo, which Darien suspected Chele understood perfectly though he didn't. It did not prevent him from enjoying the musical-sounding language or the sincerity with which it was spoken. Xavier then repeated the words in English, "Now you have lit a fire, and that fire should not go out. The two of you now have a fire that represents love, understanding, and a philosophy of life. It will give you heat, food, warmth, and happiness. The new fire represents a new beginning - a new life and a new family. The fire should keep burning; you should stay together. You have lit the fire for life, until old age separates you."

_You okay, D?" _'Chele asked, as Darien fully accepted the turn-around Graywolf had made in the last few weeks. To go from near deadly hate to full support of their getting married was almost beyond belief. Almost. Then again, if this was nothing more than some truly strange dream, he never wanted to wake up.

Tom was speaking again, "Darien, will you give your ring to Michele and repeat these words: I give you this ring as a reminder of the promises we exchanged today."

Darien slid the ring on her finger as he spoke, their eyes locked upon each other's, but it didn't matter, he didn't need to look to know where this bit of jewelry went.

Michele waited for Tom to do his part this time and slid the heavy ring upon Darien's finger with ease. He idly wondered who had discovered his ring size and then decided he didn't really care.

It was Tom who got the last word, "Darien and Michele you have exchanged your promises and given and received rings in my presence. By these acts, I pronounce you husband and wife." There was along pause and then Tom whispered, "You're supposed to kiss her now."

With a grin that was sure to split his face, Darien set his hands about her waist and lifted her up. She wrapped her arms about his neck and dove in for a most thorough kiss.

With whoops and cheers, hats and flowers flew into the air.

.

.

As if by unspoken agreement, they wandered down the one set of pathways that dead-ended at the quiet cliff side glade where the precariously strung hammock still hung between the two trees that leaned out over the Atlantic. This small corner of her property had seen some of the most significant and... painful scenes of their lives in the last year, and yet they still came back to it, finding an odd comfort in the sound of the waves pounding up against the granite rock that made up this small section of the tiny island bay.

Upon entering the clearing, she skipped away, her bare feet dancing on the pale green springtime grass and over to the cliff itself, where some previous owner of the land had carved a primitive set of steps in the rock. The sky was coloring swiftly towards indigo, the first stars already making their appointed appearance in the velvety darkness above. She was easily visible, the paleness of the flowing gown she wore a stark contrast to the deep violet background.

"Tide's up. Looks like we won't be walking along the beach tonight," she said lightly, teasingly.

"Ain't you done enough walking today?" he inquired, unable to hide a smile as he strode over to her, hands stuffed into pockets and parting the jacket to reveal the crisp white of the tuxedo shirt he still wore. The tie and he had long since parted company and the collar was unbuttoned far lower than would ever be considered proper, but that was comfortable for his disposition for remaining as unencumbered and unrestrained as possible in one lifetime. He snorted softly at himself. Remaining unencumbered was officially a lost cause considering the reason for him being stuffed into the monkey suit, but it was most certainly not something he'd take back or regret - ever. Although he would have to think of some way to get even with his partner, who had been in on the plot with the kids from the beginning.

She shook her head. "Walking down that aisle took - what? - 10 steps. Easiest thing I've done in my life." For all the facetiousness in her tone, he could see and feel the simple truth to her words. Knew that she'd felt the same lack of nervousness or possible second thoughts as he had. Knew that today had been little more than an affirmation of all that they had been through and meant to each other since their first meeting in that austere padded room in the basement of the Agency years before.

He stopped before her and gazed down into the bottomless silver pools that were her eyes and felt himself fall again, a momentary sense of vertigo causing him to freeze in place and a look that was far too serious for the situation to be displayed upon his features. He swallowed hard as he once again realized exactly how much he loved the woman before him.

Her smiled faded, a sudden worry creasing her brow and she reached up to set fingertips against his jaw. "What?"

"Nothing," he responded, his throat tight as he lightly took her hand into his own and kissed her fingertips, which caused her to close her eyes and sigh. "And... everything." Before she could react, he scooped her up into his arms, carried her over to the hammock, and lay her down in its curving embrace while she laughed in pure happiness at his antics.

He took only the time to shed the jacket before joining her, his movements setting their resting-place to swaying out over the dark blue water dozens of feet below them. After a few seconds of shifting, they settled into place with her head lying over his heart, his left hand running idly through the curls of her hair. Her hand was running up and down the centerline of the shirt he wore in a vain attempt to smooth the material, which had become rucked up out of the waistband of the pants due to his recent energetic movements. The soft click of metal to plastic button made her pause and lift her hand to examine the platinum and gold band that coiled about her finger in the swiftly fading light. He watched as she twirled the ring about with her thumb, the weight of it still too new to be completely comfortable - as he well knew. The solid band about his own finger would take some getting used to, but what it stood for, what it represented would be an adjustment that would take as much time as the inhalation of his next breath.

"Changed your mind?" he asked with an undertone of seriousness that was altogether uncommon for him.

"No," she stated in all earnestness, and rotated just enough that she could look him in the eyes. "Just wishing you didn't have to leave at the end of the week."

And there it was; the reality of their situation brought out in to the open to be examined and discussed under the cool light of the evening stars. "Me too, but with these nifty souvenirs I think the separations will go a bit easier." Graywolf had made matching silver chains part of his gift to them so that they could still wear the rings even when unable to be together, just another small way to hide their marriage in plain sight. It was a gesture that touched Darien to no end and proved just how far Xavier's perspective had changed in the last six weeks. "It won't be forever, sweets."

She sighed. "Monthly conjugal visits are not what I had in mind."

"Sex? Is that all you can think about?" He snickered, tipped his head to plant a firm kiss on her forehead and was rewarded with one of her brilliant smiles for his trouble.

"Well, it _is_ our wedding night. We're supposed to making with the consummating y'know." She darted forward and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before laying her head back down.

He chuckled warmly, most definitely looking forward to pouncing on her later, but for now just being together was enough. Besides, part of the reason he'd suggested the wander away from the house was because he was certain she had something she wanted to discuss with him, something that had been on her mind the last time they had spoken on the phone and been side-tracked by the day's festivities. "What's on your mind?"

"Aside from you in a decided state of sweaty undress?" she suggested invitingly with a surprise wiggle that set the hammock into motion once again.

He growled deep in his chest, slid a hand down her bare back and around her side, his fingers tapping gently in fair warning of the torture that would follow if she didn't behave.

She snickered. "All right, I'll be good." She was silent for long minutes, as if gathering her thoughts, and he waited with as much patience as he could muster, noting absently that full darkness had fallen, surrounding them in a cocoon of sultry breezes and salty night air. "I was considering quitting. The CIA, that is. Going back to being just plain old Michele."

Darien was more than a little surprised by this revelation, but could fully understand it. She'd been under an enormous amount of pressure since returning to government work and, after spending a year being nothing more than a mother to her kids, had found adjustment back to super-spy difficult at best. "So go for it," he stated without a trace of selfishness, and only after the possibility of her and the kids moving to San Diego crossed his mind. It was swiftly followed by the realization that wasn't going to happen in this lifetime. The whole reason for the secrecy was to protect her and the kids from the many enemies he'd made over the years working at the Agency. "You never wanted to be part of this."

"But without _this_ we would have never met," she pointed out astutely.

"Oof. You had to go and say that didn't ya?" But he was smiling as he spoke; relieved she was the one to make the observation and not him. "I'm kinda glad we met. I want you to know that."

"Yeah, well, most guys are happy when getting laid regular-like."

"Hey!" Darien groused, putting those fingers to work, making her burst into uncontrollable giggles and squirm in a useless attempt at escape. He stopped once she had begged for relief in an appropriately desperate manner. "Talk to me," he requested, as soon as she had caught her breath and wiped away the tears the laughter had inspired. "You still gonna quit the biz?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. This mess with Keller and... my mind showed me that I... that _we_, still need things that only working for the government can give us."

"Babe, you ain't broke; you could handle security for the kids privately..." He trailed off when he felt her stiffen in preparation for disagreement so he added, "You don't need to worry about me, a'ight?" He was hoping to reassure her that while things might not be perfect at the Agency, especially after the revelations of the last few weeks, that there was also nothing he couldn't handle. As far as the Official would know he and Alyx would still be doing nothing more than trying to juggle work and a very long distance relationship, though he did plan on letting Claire in on the secret in a couple of weeks.

"It's not that. It's... There's things I want - need - to do before I dare risk breaking away," she offered as an explanation. "Rose is only nine and right now I trust Charlie and Cavanaugh to make sure all the kids are left alone. Though I gotta admit that _he_ has some serious shit to account for." She paused to take a couple breaths and not let the mention of the Official send her temper flaring. "The Keller thing opened a serious can of worms and no one is sure how deep it runs. I have to be there, have to see it through."

She sounded both discouraged and adamant, which didn't surprise him in the least. She was always one to back up her words with action no matter how much harder it made her life. "Will it make any difference? You being there?"

She sighed deeply. "Christ, I hope so."

Her back was now knotted with tension, so he put his hands to a far better use than tickling her and made a valiant attempt at convincing muscles to relax, for the obvious worry that radiated from her to drop away and allow her to continue the conversation with ease instead of discomfort. "'Chele, if you think this is the right thing to do then I'll back you, hell, I'll help you any way I can."

"Darien, you don't have to..."

"Yeah, I do. I don't bail on my partner," he asserted. "Bobby'd hurt me if I did." That seemed to do the trick and her taut body went boneless against his. "So, when do you think you'll be able to blow this pop stand?"

She seemed to mull his question as her hands began to move languorously about, one finding its way up to the top of his skull to flutter through the hair while the other toyed with the buttons of the dress shirt; undoing and redoing them almost compulsively. "Oh, two, three years, I think," she answered quietly. "It'll feel like an eternity..."

"It'll go by in the blink of an eye," he countered, knowing it was true enough. "We'll manage." He snickered. "Definitely won't have to worry about getting bored with each other," he observed, unable to keep the grin off his face.

"You," she grumbled. "It _won't_ be easy. Between just simply missing each other and the withdrawal you suffer after we've been together, it can't be."

"Worth it," he assured her, doing his best to broadcast his feelings on the situation to her. "Worth anything." He was only mildly surprised when she didn't argue the point and instead levered herself up so that her face hovered above his, her eyes glowing with a silvery sheen in the faint light provided by the stars high above them.

"Conning me you is," she asserted, but lightheartedly.

"Every chance you'll let me, baby," he agreed, tipping his head just enough to rest his forehead against hers. "What'll you do after?"

"Actually, I was thinking you might like to join me." His sudden shocked stillness at her words obviously said far more than any verbal response could. "Dearheart, you can't want to work for the Official for the rest of your life - even if he thinks you should. He's sure to start up the QS-9000 program again, if he hasn't already, and two years is more than enough time to have worked out the kinks..."

"Michele, do you know something I don't?" he asked once he managed to find his voice and interrupt her frighteningly enlightening observations of what should have been obvious to even him.

"Know? Nope. But it's what I would do in his position. Well, evil, manipulative, underhanded me, anyway." She shifted so her head was being supported by her arm and gazed down at him with a serious expression upon her face. "Darien, given what you've told me about Arnaud, Chrysalis and the SWRB, Charlie would have little choice. You've proved to be his best weapon in the last three years; it makes sense to continue the project. Much like Kevin wanted."

"Oh, now that's not fair. Invoking the dead brother's grand plans should be against the rules." But he knew she was right, her grand pronouncement that he was needed notwithstanding. Even if he were to stay with the Agency for the next decade, there would still come a time when he'd have to retire... or be killed in the line of duty. Having a replacement, or several, waiting in the wings would be just like the fat man. "You're right, though, I don't want to be there for any longer than I have to be. But... but what about Bobby?"

"He's more than welcome to tag along. Claire too." She leaned down to nuzzle the side of his neck for a long, breathless moment. "Finally get that whole 'company pier' issue out of the way and let nature take its course."

"Ulterior motives. I like those." Darien knew Bobby well enough to be certain that, even with the poor example he and _Alyx_ had set, Hobbes would never back down and act upon his feelings for the lovely and talented Claire. "But what would we do? I mean, yeah, a long vacation would be nice at first, but even Bobby'd get bored after a while."

"I thought we'd go into business for ourselves. Hire out to do what we do now, only worldwide. Maybe toss in a little security work, both physical and electronic." Her eyes sparkled with excitement, making it obvious she'd been thinking seriously about this for quite some time. "Train and hire our own people and fund research into a few things that I know Claire would be interested in. Stuff that'd be shared with the general public. Between aspects of the Quicksilver research and the QSX project theories..."

He set a hand on her lips, stopping the flow of words. "I get the picture," he told her with a laugh, "and I love the idea. We just need to keep our asses in one piece until then."

"You better. I have plans for that ass of yours." She swooped back in, captured his lips with hers, and did a fair job at making him forget his own name for the next several minutes.

"Two years?" he repeated when she lifted her head.

"Uh huh," she replied, with hope in her voice, in her mind and heart that he shared.

"I can't wait."

.

.

_Robert Heinlein, in a book that had become a favorite of mine, wrote, "Although long life maybe a burden, mostly it is a blessing. It gives time enough to think, time enough to learn, time enough not to hurry, time enough for love."_

_Granted, my life would never match Woodrow Wilson Smith's for length, but I was quite certain there would still be more than enough time... for everything.  
_

_  
_

_Finis  
_


End file.
